DOMESTIC SCIENCE

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 137, 14 June 1927, Page 11

DOMESTIC SCIENCE

PRIMARY SCHOOL WORK

NEEDLEWORK AND COOKERY

The teaching of needlework and cook cry in the primary schools engaged the attention, of the Council of Education at its meeting last week. In connection with the consideration of a comprehensive report made upon this subject, by 3Vfiss Dyer, the Department's inspector of domestic science, the Council of Education of 1926 set up a special committee which continued its investigations and reported to the present council. With certain modifications the special committee's report was adopted.

The report contains recommendations for the catting down of the sizes of classes in needlework and cookery, for improvement in accommodation in some cases, and for a large number of instructresses in others. The extension of the provision of manual classes for retardate children is urged, as it is found that such children often show exceptional success in manual subjects ■while they are mentally unfitted to cope.,profitably with more ''bookish" subjects.

Improvements in the training of cookery instructresses, not only in".their' technical work, but also in class management, are stated to be necessary, and the advantage that would result if the instructresses could teach both cookery and needlework is pointed out. To effect a much-needed improvement in the standard of instruction in needlework, the appointment of a specialist teacher in this subject in each training college centre is recommended. An assistant to the inspector,of domestic science is stated to be necessary.