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Journal of the Nelson and Marlborough Historical Societies, Volume 2, Issue 1, 1987

Table 6: Health as a Factor in Leaving School

Table 6: Health as a Factor in Leaving School

Ainsworth, W. A. Too long a walk, ill-health
Bird, T. Ill-health
Bowden, B. T. Died young
Leighton, G. R. Ill-health
Moorhouse, W. Ill-health
Mules, P. H. Ill-health
Sealy, A. Drowned Wai-iti River
Stanton, A. Died appendicitis
Talbot, E. E. Bad health
Turner, F. Died
Wix, A. L. H. McK. L. Ill-health
Wix, W. C. Died diptheria
Antill, H. W. Death of father: to Australia
Bailey, F. Death of father: to work
Kiernam, H. Death of father: to work
Moore, F. W. W. Death of father: removed
Moore, G. Death of father: removed to Awatere
Stack, G. R. Death of father: to Wellington

Ill-health is not usually a reason for leaving school, yet Table 6 underlines the widespread awareness that children were not necesarily going to survive into adulthood. Cognisance must also be taken of the evidence that six boys left because of the deaths of their fathers, presumably to aid their families ongoing survival. Added to this must be the high incidence of widows, listed under parents' occupations in Table 2. The potential for an intact family, throughout a pupil's childhood, was certainly reduced.

Those pupils who survived these various external onslaughts, most commonly spent betwen 1 year and 1 year 11 months at Bishop's School.

Fig 7: Number of years spent at Bishop's School.

Fig 7: Number of years spent at Bishop's School.

page 17

There is a marked correlation between the pupils who enrolled at a younger age, and those who left after 5–8 years. Obviously this would depend on the strengths, weaknesses and educational inclinations of individual pupils. The actual ages of leaving are provided in Figure 8.

Figure 8: Age at leaving Bishop's School.

Figure 8: Age at leaving Bishop's School.

It is clearly a bi-modal graph. This is further evidenced in the mean age of leaving, 13 years 6 months, the median age, 13 years 8 months and the mode, or most common age of leaving, 15 years.

Bishop's School roll has been used as a test case. This analysis has provided an indication of the wealth of information about the School's pupils and their parents, contained within and between its lines of figures and names.

Additional investigation into Nelson's social and educational past may change the conclusions drawn here. In concert with this additional probing, the roll could provide even more evidence for the historian.