Objects of Substance- Timetable

This timetable echoes the traditional structure of designated short times for lessons in different subjects, rotated throughout the day. Most members of any school community would assert that a well-constructed timetable establishes a natural rhythm and routine at once familiar and stable. There are several revealing aspects that are evident or inferred by this 1899 timetable. Firstly, the timetable reads left to right from Form VI [Year 12] to Form I. Does this imply that having girls leave prepared for further study after school was a priority? [There was one Form VI lesson a week designated as “Test Papers”.] The girls were offered a wide range of subjects from mathematics [algebra and trigonometry were separate lessons and we assume the lesson called “Euclid” was geometry]; three languages [Latin, German, and French]; and the humanities; but only one science was mentioned: Botany. The broad-based liberal education was verified because, as well as these more academic subjects, all levels of the School undertook singing, sewing, drawing, and physical education [either Drill in the lower grades or gymnastics in V and VI]. There were a few very interesting additions: Form I had lessons called “Writing and Tables”, “Read and sing”, “Dictation”, and “Cane work”. [Whatever that was. Perhaps it was to increase their dexterity?] Cookery was also added in the margin [metaphorically marginalised?] for Forms II, III, and V. School timetables like this have been in place for hundreds of years and, rightly or wrongly, very little about the basic principles changed by the twenty-first century. However, at Girls Grammar, the school timetable and structure of the day has certainly evolved over the last 145 years. The first thing that is noticeable is the array of subjects available to the students. Depending on the grade, the School currently offers three English subjects, five languages, four mathematics, seven humanities, four sciences, two Health and Physical Education, four technologies, and three creative arts. No wonder the timetable is more complicated in the 21 st century! In addition, the starting and finishing times of the day, the length of lessons, and the timing and duration of morning tea and lunch have been adjusted on many occasions. Perhaps one interesting concept is that the number of lessons per day has changed, at different times, from eight, to seven to six to the present five, the lessons becoming longer from forty minutes to the current sixty-five minutes. Staff and students, even the Year 7s, have responded positively to the longer lessons and especially appear to enjoy having only one lesson after lunch. The school day was managed by the ringing of a bell between lessons and breaks. In 1990/1991, a major refurbishment of the Main Building and the boarding facilities was undertaken. During this time, the electronic clock which controlled the bells was disconnected and taken for refurbishment. During that time, there were no bells. When the clock was returned, the Principal, Mrs Judith Hancock, decided that the calm provided by not ringing the bells throughout the day was worth preserving and Grammar girls did not need this prompting. The 1899 timetable appears to provide one break of an hour, whereas now the students and staff have two breaks. In 1880, one parent wrote to The Telegraph newspaper expressing concern that the lunch break was only thirty minutes long. They felt that it was vital to one’s health to have a longer break with an opportunity for an unhurried meal and a rest before afternoon classes. They said it was “prejudicial to the health of growing girls” and went on to say that the boys school had a one-and-a-half-hour lunch. Perhaps the longer lunch break was a response to this opinion. In 2021,