The Arts in Schools - Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

107 Thesecondarycurriculuma the proportion of curriculum time neededb patterns of timetabling in each yeare use of space and facilitiesd approaches to assessment and examinationThe curriculum comprises much more than the timetable.It includes'. .. all the learning which is planned or guided by theschool, whether it is carried out in groups or individually,inside or outside the school.' (Kerr, 1968, p!6)As HMI have noted, all pupils, whatever their ability donot normally follow identical courses:'Within each subject there are possibilities of shapingdetailed content, pace and method to suit different needsand capacities and different pupils choose different subjectsto serve the same curricular aim.' (DES, 1977, p5)Curriculum planning is complicated by the fact that eachchild has a different curriculum and by the need to maintainbalance and coherence in each case. For these reasons it isneither wise, nor practicable, to prescribe common curriculaor standard patterns of timetabling. In thinking about proportionalallocations of curriculum tune, however, we endorsethe following guideline.108 The artsin thecurriculumHMI propose that some eight 'areas of experience' should betaken as the basis for curriculum planning (DES, 1977). InChapter 1 we noted several similar classifications. We think itreasonable to propose that for the first three years of secondaryeducation (11—14) these seven or eight areas occupy noless than three-quarters of curriculum time and for the lasttwo years, up to two-thirds. The rest of the time will bespent, in the first three years, on other activities which areimportant and necessary in terms of vocational and moraleducation and such other elements as may properly constituteas complete a liberal education as can be managed.This might include, for example, work in health education,civic and social studies, and craft and design.In the last two years, the remaining third of curriculumtime will be spent on options to which pupils are becomingstrongly committed and/or wish to offer for higher examinationsor prepare for vocational courses, or a scheme ofgeneral studies, another language, another science or anotherartḞor the rest, we believe that curriculum time ought to be67