XN000022-1973-04-10 — Page 7

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Tuesday, April 10, 1973

The Board will be advising on the best way of achieving, within

the shortest time practicable, the objectives of providing three years

of secondary education for all in the 12-14 year age group, and of doubling

places for the full five-year course.

In making their recommendations the Board will obviously be concerned

both with quality and quantity and will have to take into account the

availability of staff and buildings amongst other factors.

On the question of the Secondary Schools Entrance Examination,

nobody likes a system whereby the whole of a child's secondary education

is determined by his performance in one afternoon.

As more secondary school places become available the secondary

schools entrance examination will be made easier and will become less critical.

The Board of Education will be advising on the examinations system

in general, and in particular will advise on the system of allocation to

be adopted once there is a secondary school place available for every child.

Obviously there will need to be a system of placing children in the

type of secondary school most suited to their talents.

We shall wish to achieve this as quickly as possible, but we cannot

put a date to it until the Board has examined all the implications.

Educationally, whole-day sessions are clearly more desirable than

the bi-sessional system now practised in primary schools.

We shall change over to whole-day sessions in government primary

schools as circumstances permit.

/A start