Hadow (1923)

Notes on the text
Preliminary pages Membership, Analysis, Preface, Introduction
Chapter 1 History of the curriculum in secondary schools
Chapter 2 The curriculum at present in use
Chapter 3 Differences between boys and girls
Chapter 4 General review of the evidence and conclusions
Appendix I List of witnesses
Appendix II List of publications
Appendix III Coeducational day schools
Appendix IV Music and art exams
Appendix V Dr JG Adami: memorandum
Appendix VI School timetables

London: HM Stationery Office

Appendix VI Timetables of a few secondary schools of different types
[pages 187 - 193]

(Note. We have taken the latest available timetable in each instance, but it must be borne in mind that such timetables are frequently modified. The timetables show the number of hours a week devoted to each subject.)

[Note: in the printed version times are shown as hours and fractions of hours. For this online version I have translated these into hours and minutes. Thus 2¼ is shown as 2:15. The tables are presented in pop-up windows.]

Table 1 Timetable of a municipal secondary school for boys and girls (i.e. a coeducational day school)

Table 2 Timetable of a municipal secondary school for girls and boys, with a slight technical bias

Explanatory note on Table 2

The girls have access to well fitted cookery and laundry rooms and in addition to cookery and laundry work they study housewifery and needlework.

Thus more time is assigned to handwork subjects than is usually the case, and moreover, these subjects are taught in surroundings which bring the pupil into contact with the outside world.

All pupils take German as the first foreign language. This was determined before the war owing to the bearing of German science on the local industries (in this case mining and iron industries).

The curriculum in the first year is as follows: English, history, geography, German, mathematics, physics (introductory science), handwork, drill [PE], music, games.

The subjects studied in the first year are continued throughout the school course with the exception that, at the beginning of the second year, introductory science is replaced by chemistry (for boys) and by botany (for girls). Differentiation begins in the second year. The better boys have a choice between Latin or physics and the more able girls have a choice between physics, Latin and additional domestic science. Only scholars with distinct literary ability are allowed to take Latin. Thus the majority study one foreign language, and, as a rule, those who take up Latin are intending candidates for an arts degree or for entry into profession (e.g. law, medicine).

The weaker scholars have no opportunity of studying a second foreign language; instead they devote their time to practical subjects which are potentially vocational.

Table 3 The timetable of a coeducational boarding school

Table 4 Timetable of a county secondary school for boys

Table 5 Timetable of a county secondary school for girls

Table 6 Timetable of a high school with a long morning session

Table 7 Timetable of a large modern boarding school for girls

Notes on Table 7

In school: morning hours 9.0 am to 12.30 pm in five periods with an interval of 20 minutes from 11 to 11.20.

Afternoon hours: in winter 4.30 to 6.30 in four periods of 30 minutes devoted to lessons or preparation or music or dancing; in summer 2.0 to 4.0.

In addition to this, 30 minutes' preparation is done in the houses from 8.0 am to 8.30 am by all girls, and 60 minutes' preparation from 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm by the older girls.

Organised games are played from 2.10 pm to 3.20 pm daily in winter, and for a rather larger period on Saturday. Organised games are played from 4.30 pm to 6.0 pm daily in summer and rather longer on Wednesday and Saturday.

The girls are free on Saturday afternoons and evenings when not at play. On Sundays and whole holidays the girls have a fair amount of leisure.

There is a school literary society, dramatic society, voluntary part singing, school choir, and there are assistant editors (chosen from the girls) for the School Gazette.

The five or six girls at the top of each house act as house-monitors and much of the discipline of the house is in the hands of the Head of house. There is also a house captain who is responsible for the organisation of the house games. The sixth form act as school monitors, and are held responsible to a great extent for the discipline of the school.