SCHOOL GAMES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22941, 20 January 1938, Page 14

SCHOOL GAMES

EXTENSION OF TIME VIEWS OF DEPARTMENT CURRICULUM IN FEBRUARY . INSTRUCTIONS TO TEACHERS Appreciation of a report of a subcommittee of the Auckland Primary School Combined Sports Association on the question of games in school hours was expressed in a letter from the Education Department discussed at the meeting of the Auckland Education Board yesterday. Tho report had been submitted to the department with a memorandum from the board.

The communication from the department said it was advisable to extend tho time it had been customary to allot to physical training. Hitherto that time had not exceeded 15 minutes daily and had as a rule been spent exclusively in formal exercises. Wish of Department "The modern conception of physical training, however, goes much further than that," the letter added, "and it is the wish of the department that solo and head teachers should adapt their curricula and time-tables accordingly." Teachers were recommended to review their time-tables and re-allot tho periods given to various subjects in accordance with the needs of the inspectors. They should not await such visits before initiating what they considered to be necessary reforms. All pupils should be provided for during the extended period of physical training. Those unable to take part in physical exercise should be otherwise employed. "Nothing should be done that would cause the additional time to bo devoted to training only sections of the pupils to be winning teams in some championships, while the remainder play about in a perfunctory manner," added' the letter. "All must receive equal consideration and time-tables should be so adjusted that grounds will be in profitable use at different periods of the day."

Work on Hot Days Mr. S. B. Sims also referred to a newspaper report which stated that experiments in adapting the school curriculum to tho hot weather usually experienced in February were recommended in a circular issued to primary and secondary schools by the Director of Education, Mr. N. T. Lambourne. Mr. Sims asked the attitude of tho board was and expressed tho opinion that instructions to teachers should be given by the board, not the department. . ' The secretary, Mr. D. W. Dunlop, said something had come before the board concerning the matter before the holidays and the board had received the communication. It later appeared in the Gazette. Mr. Munro: Anything appearing in tho Gazette is binding as it is. "Many years ago when we had hot weather in February the schools used to open for only half a day," said the chairman, the Hon. A. Burns, M.L.C. "There is a good deal of common sense in the recommendations. A teacher cannot teach well, nor can a child learn well, on' a very' hot. day." Several members asked whether the experiments would be applied all the time or only on very hot days. "I take it the headmasters will be able to use their discretion," said Mr. Burns.