Secondary School Curriculum (Hansard, 14 March 1984)

§ Baroness Faithfull
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

§ The Earl of Swinton
My Lords, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science has announced a programme, including proposals in relation to the curriculum, examinations and teachers, designed to improve standards in both primary and secondary schools. It is the Government's intention to seek a broad consensus about the objectives of each phase and of each subject area of the curriculum, what in each needs to be learnt by all pupils, and what should additionally be attempted by some. My right honourable friend is now discussing these matters with the Government's partners in the education service.

§ Baroness Faithfull
My Lords, will my noble friend agree that this statement will give great encouragement both to parents and to employers? Will be further agree that employers will welcome the opportunity of seeing laid out the exact capabilities and skills of each individual child?

§ The Earl of Swinton
My Lords, I agree most strongly with what my noble friend says. Indeed, my right honourable friend's programme has generally been welcomed by parents, employers and the education service. I believe that this is because it is the Government's overall purpose to seek higher standards. Our specific target is to bring 80 to 90 per cent. of all pupils to the level now achieved by pupils of average ability across a number of subjects. A clearer definition of the objectives of the curriculum has an important part to play in that process as do our proposals for an examination system which reflects more closely than the present one what pupils can actually do.

§ Baroness David
My Lords, can I ask the noble Earl what plans are being made to ensure that the curriculum takes more fully into account the experiences and needs of working-class children? I do not mean just the basics.

§ The Earl of Swinton
My Lords, I do not think that there is any discrimination in regard to a child's background. The curriculum caters for all children.

§ Baroness David
My Lords, will the Minister not agree, however, that there perhaps needs to be some difference and that their experiences need to be taken into greater account?

§ The Earl of Swinton
My Lords, I do not altogether agree. My right honourable friend has made it clear that we want pupils to be able to demonstrate knowledge, skills, understanding and judgment—in a word, "competence"—across a broad curriculum. That goes for the working-class child—I personally do not like the expression "working class"—and for every type of child in any of our schools.

§ Lord Glenamara
My Lords, will the noble Earl tell us under what section of the 1944 Act the Secretary of State has any legal power to interfere in matters of curriculum, in view of the fact that there are no state schools in this country but only local authority schools?

§ The Earl of Swinton
My Lords, my right honourable friend is in no way interfering. As I said in my original Answer, his proposals have been generally welcomed and he is consulting with local authorities. I do not think that he needs to use any powers whatever to try to encourage a higher standard of education in our schools.

§ Baroness Masham of Ilton
My Lords, I should like to ask my noble kinsman how the Government see health education in the curriculum and what they are doing to encourage local authorities to spread information about the dangers of our permissive society to pupils, especially as regards drug abuse and venereal disease.

§ The Earl of Swinton
My Lords, health education has an important place in preparing young people for personal, social and family responsibilities. It is for the schools themselves to decide what to include in health education courses, what materials to use and what teaching methods to employ. Before embarking upon particularly sensitive areas of health education—such as sex and drug education, as my noble kinswoman has mentioned—schools are recommended to consult parents. Indeed, the regulations made under the Education Act 1980 require schools to publish details of the sex education which they provide.

§ Lord Jacques
My Lords, will the Minister bear in mind that one of the purposes of training is to reduce the experience necessary to reach proficiency and, therefore, experience ought to be taken into account?

§ The Earl of Swinton
Yes, my Lords, that is why the Government are very interested in also producing a system of records of children's achievements at school.