Wider range of courses for seventh form pupils

Press, 21 July 1988, Page 22

Wider range of courses for seventh form pupils

The big rise in the number of seventh form pupils has led to increased demand for a wider range of courses. More pupils are staying an extra year at school, but many want a course which is wider than the traditional bursary subjects can offer. Nationally, seventh form rolls were up about 30 per cent this year. One school, Hornby, has this year introduced a full-time alternative course, and some schools have been offering additional subjects. At Rangi Ruru Girls’ School this year pupils can take theatre studies or sports management for four hours a week, in addition to bursary or

scholarship subjects. The school principal, Mrs Raywyn Ramage, said it was important that all pupils be given as wide a knowledge as possible. “Science students can broaden their outlook by taking the management or theatre studies, plus four bursary subjects.” The sports management course was “management studies” with sports management emphasis, Mrs Ramage said. Pupils learned the basics of commercial subjects, and how to run a business.

The principal of Hornby High School, Mr Gus Gale, said, “I can’t subscribe to the view that a seventh form year is only for the very able students.” At Hornby pupils in the

new full-time course take some general school subjects, produce the school newspaper, and also spend time in community and school service.

A range of pupils has opted for the course, including some who would otherwise have left school to seek jobs, or those who are waiting to reach age requirements for jobs in the police or Army, for example. The pupils praise the course, which concentrates on practical work. A science lesson, for example, could be a lesson in car maintenance. As well as science, students take home economics, metalwork, and mathematics. They also have a transition to work pro-

gramme, where skills and interview techniques are developed. Pupils also plan their own recreation programme of just under two hours in a seven-day timetable. Two mornings a week they are involved with service to the community, including work in primary schools and old people’s homes. At school, they help with the remedial reading programme, in the library, or lead groups of junor pupils in the Peer Support programme.

Mr Gale said the course was proving very successful.

The pupils had generally done well in the sixth form, but they were not keen for a further full

year of academic study, he said.

Providing a separate course had also meant that bursary classes could work more effectively, since all pupils were aiming for Bursary. Hornby has had one problem in running the course. Because the Education Department has not given extra time for a course co-ordinator, the teach acting as co-ordina-tor must do so on top of normal teaching duties.

For the course co-ordi-nator, Mr Wayne Hegarty, this is unsatisfactory.

“If schools and the Education Department feel these courses are needed then a time allocation for administration must be available,” he said.