Norwood (1943)

Notes on the text
Preliminary pages Membership, Contents, Introduction

Part I Secondary education
Chapter 1 Nature of secondary education
Chapter 2 Secondary education as it is
Chapter 3 Secondary education as it might be

Part II Examinations
Chapter 4 Existing examinations
Chapter 5 The reorganisation of examinations (i)
Chapter 6 The reorganisation of examinations (ii)
Chapter 7 The Inspectorate

Part III Curriculum
Chapter 8 The curriculum in general
Chapter 9 Physical education
Chapter 10 Religious education
Chapter 11 English
Chapter 12 History
Chapter 13 Geography
Chapter 14 Mathematics
Chapter 15 Natural science
Chapter 16 Modern languages
Chapter 17 Classics
Chapter 18 Art, music, handicrafts
Chapter 19 Domestic subjects
Chapter 20 Education for commerce
Chapter 21 Wales and the teaching of Welsh

Conclusions and recommendations
Appendix A Note on the Central Welsh Board
Appendix B List of witnesses
Index

Report of the Committee of the Secondary School Examinations Council appointed by the President of the Board of Education in 1941

London: HM Stationery Office 1943

Conclusions and recommendations
[pages 139 - 142]

Brief summary of main recommendations relating to the reorganisation of (a) Secondary education (b) Examinations

We attach a brief summary of main recommendations. It is recommended that:

Reorganisation of secondary education

(1) In accordance with the principle of child-centred education the definition of 'secondary education' should be enlarged so as to embrace three broad types of education, each type containing within itself the possibility of variation and each school within the type offering alternative courses.

(2) (a) These three types of secondary education, which may be distinguished as those of the secondary grammar school, the secondary technical school and the secondary modern school, should be accorded all the parity which amenities and conditions can bestow.

(b) In suitable circumstances secondary schools of different types should be combined.

(3) Each type of school should be so organised, particularly in the lower forms, as to make transfer from one to another as easy as possible.

(4) At 11+ all pupils in primary schools should pass into a secondary school belonging to one of the three types named above. The term '11+' should be regarded as a convenient administrative term: within it should fall children of 10+ and 12+ in whose interest transfer to secondary education should be accelerated or delayed.

(5) Differentiation of pupils for the kind of secondary education appropriate to them should be made upon the basis of (a) the judgement of the teachers of the primary school, supplemented if desired by (b) 'intelligence' and 'performance' and other tests.

Due consideration should be given to the choice of the parent and the pupil.

(6) In each secondary school of whatever kind pupils of the ages 11+ to 13+ should form a 'lower school'. The curriculum of the lower school should be roughly common to all schools. During his progress through this lower school the pupil should be under the supervision of a master or mistress charged with the special responsibility of recommending, after skilled observation, the type of secondary education most appropriate in each case at the age of 13+.

(7) During the years 11+ to 13+ transfer should take place as desirable; but at 13+ the pupils in each lower school should be reviewed and be recommended to the school giving the most appropriate kind of secondary education. Promotion from the lower school into the higher forms of the same school should not be made as a matter of course.

Part-time education and a break in education at 18+

(8) Up to the age of 18+ all pupils should either receive full-time education or be brought under the influence of part-time education, and full consideration should be given to the educational and social advantages of the performance of public service for a period of six months falling between school and university or other courses of higher education.

The School Certificate examination

(9) In the interest of the individual child and of the increased freedom and responsibility of the teaching profession change in the School Certificate examination should be in the direction of making the examination entirely internal, that is to say, conducted by the teachers at the school on syllabuses and papers framed by themselves.

(10) For a transitional period of seven years the examination should (a) continue to be carried out by existing university examining bodies, but should be conducted in each case by a sub-committee containing strong representation of teachers; (b) become a 'subject' examination, pupils taking whatever subjects they wish to take. A certificate stating the performance of the pupil should be given to each candidate; to this statement should be added by the school authorities an account of the pupil's school record.

(11) At the end of the transitional period the decision should be made whether conditions make possible a change to a wholly internal examination, or whether there should be a further transitional period in which teachers would take still greater control of the examination, and the universities still less.

An examination taken normally at 18+

(12) To meet the requirements of university entrance, of entry into the professions and other needs, a school leaving examination should be conducted twice each year for pupils of 18+. Pupils should take in this examination the subjects required for their particular purpose in view. Its purpose should not be to provide evidence of a 'general' or 'all-round' education.

University scholarships

(13) The present Higher School Certificate examination should be abolished and state and local education authority scholarships should be awarded on a different basis.

(14) The winning of a college scholarship at Oxford or Cambridge or a university scholarship elsewhere should constitute a claim upon public funds for assistance towards the cost of living at the university, subject to evidence of need.

(15) For the award of state and local education authority scholarships an examination should be held in March by the university examining bodies; the recommendations of examining bodies would be made to local education authorities and would be reviewed by special boards appointed for the purpose, who would take into account performance in the examination and the school records of the candidates. The final award should be made by the state, which should bear the cost of scholarships. The value of the scholarships should be such as to enable the holder to take full part in the life of the university. It should be open to local education authorities to make awards to candidates to assist them at universities or other places of advanced education; the state should pay half the cost of such awards.

(16) The proposals made with regard to the examination taken at 18+ and the examinations for state and local education authority awards should be put into operation as soon as possible.

General

(17) With a view to making their services more readily available to the schools and increasing public confidence in the internal examination at 16+, the Inspectorate should be increased in numbers, and be relieved of purely administrative work as far as may be found possible.

(18) The keeping of school records from the primary stage to the end of the school course should be made the subject of immediate investigation and research.

(19) The Board of Education should establish machinery for encouraging researches into educational problems and should collate and publish their results.

Apart from these recommendations we express the hope that:

(1) The Civil Service Commissioners and the Service colleges will order their examinations in such a way as to fit in with the suggested reorganisation of examinations.

(2) The medical schools will take account of the 18+ examination with a view to granting exemption from part of the First MB [Bachelor of Medicine] examination if certain conditions are fulfilled by the candidate.

(3) Universities will consider the possibility of taking performance in college scholarship examinations and the examination for state scholarships and also the school record into account in granting exemption or partial exemption from university entrance examinations.

(4) Universities will hold their scholarship examinations simultaneously in December.

(5) Consideration will be given by universities to the desirability of instituting more commonly than at present general honours degrees.

(6) The implications of the proposed reorganisation of examinations and the increased freedom which it will eventually give to teachers will be taken into account in the training of teachers.

In signing this Report we record our common approval of the general principles which have been there formulated and of the general lines of advance which have been there broadly shaped for the guidance of the future. It is not to be expected that in a document of such length and of such detail each separate item could command an equal measure of assent, nor do our signatures mean this. They do, however, declare that after the consideration of much evidence from many different sources and after long and full discussion we have reached a common mind as to the developments which we deem to be desirable in our educational system during the next few years. Our readers will, perhaps, count it to our credit that in a period of rapid evolutionary changes we do not think it wise to read too closely and too confidently the possibilities of the distant future.

We have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient Servants,

Cyril Norwood (Chairman)
Mary G Clarke
Olave M Hastings
AWS Hutchings
PD Innes
Joseph Jones
JE Myers
Ernest W Naisbitt
Percival Sharp
SH Shurrock
Terry Thomas*
W Nalder Williams

RH Barrow (Secretary)

23 June 1943

*Reserves his position on the internal examination.