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Section 2

Balance in the Curriculum

Reviewing the allocation and use of time

Time is a precious resource. Teachers and managers recognise the importance of making the best use of the time they have available to them to meet the range of pupil needs and the significant demands of a full curriculum and busy classrooms.


Research1 into time spent by teachers and pupils on various types of activity recognises that balance varies over a term, a year and at different stages of the school. Imbalances can occur for very good reasons. Nevertheless pupils' learning is most effective in the classroom when it takes place within an agreed overall framework of time allocation and a clearly focused teaching plan. This does not preclude opportunities to respond to events that arise incidentally.
...good time allocation and the effective use of time help create the right conditions for high-quality learning and teaching.

The principle of balance in the curriculum requires that there is sufficient time given to each area for a variety of learning experiences. This happens when school managers and teachers carefully consider and are clear about:
       allocating time to each curriculum area
       using time flexibly at different stages and for different purposes
       using time effectively in the classroom for teaching and learning.


The three factors above are concerned with different purposes, and raise their own specific questions and issues. Yet they are clearly related, because good time allocation and the effective use of time help create the right conditions for high-quality learning and teaching.

1 Teachers' and Pupils' Days in the Primary Classroom, SCRE, 1999

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