set 1985 : no. 1

Three volunteer teachers arranged home interviews for each pupil in their class, offering parents the choice of an interview at home or at school. As more than half the parents opted for a home visit, it was possible to make some comparison between the relative effectiveness of the two methods. At this early stage not all the staff were wholly in favour of the home visit scheme; there was some reticence from the eight other staff members about the concept of interviewing in the home. With a… Read more

In New Zealand it is estimated that non-Maori girls now reach puberty, on average, at 12 years 6 months and Maori girls at 12.0. In Australia the age is between 12.4 and 13.0. That means that most girls could bear children in their first year at high school, and many whilst still at primary. Boys on average mature sexually about 9 months later, but both sexes reach puberty considerably younger than was the case 40 years ago. There is evidence that this is accompanied by earlier sexual… Read more