§ Mrs. Ray MichieTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the guidelines issued by the Scottish Education Department about the core curriculum for pupils in S3 and S4 in Scotland from 1992 are mandatory or optional; what choice will be available to pupils outside the core curriculum; whether the proposed core curriculum will apply to private schools in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. LangThe current guidelines on the secondary curriculum were prepared by the Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum and recommended to education authorities in Scottish Education Department circular No. 7/89. Schools are expected to adopt the guidelines with such variation of detail as may be appropriate to local circumstances. The core curriculum recommended for S3 and S4 occupies about 70 per cent. of available teaching time, thus leaving some 30 per cent. for optional courses. The guidelines have been made available to the independent schools, but it is for those schools to decide what use, if any, they will make of them.