- Example One – A school capacity of 1200 pupils would have a ‘Basic Curriculum’ as a typical Secondary 11-16 organisation. (Based on a 25–hour week)
1200 learners/27 x 25 = 1111 hours
- Example Two – A school capacity of 420 pupils would have a ‘Basic Curriculum’ as a big Primary 4-11 organisation. (Based on a 25–hour week)
420 learners/27 x 25 = 389 hours
In Example One should we find the actual curriculum model has 1300 teaching sessions (hours) then the curriculum is enhanced by 189 sessions. This curriculum would be described as 17% enhanced, structurally 189 teaching lessons will have been modelled to deliver the goals of the leaders.
In Example Two should we find the actual delivery model has 409 hours, but the roll is actually 210 then the enhancement will be 80%. This school has one too many classes in each year group possibly due to falling roll and needs to consider the structural setup of the school to ensure affordability.
Then if we consider the cost of each session, normally calculated within most schools as around £1900 per hour per week across the year, then the indicative cost of the curriculum enhancement can be projected. In Example One the cost would be £359,100 and in Example Two £399,000. This is the cost of putting teaching staff in the classroom to deliver these sessions. Now the judgement has to be made as to whether this can be afforded and whether it delivers the strategy for which it represents. Both of these figures are real and can make significant impact on deficit reduction on one side and significant ability to invest in learning on the other.
