Five minute lesson 'may aid pupils'

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The new National Curriculum framework for English secondary schools aims to cut duplication between subjects.

Pupils on a field trip to the coast, for example, could study surveying in a joint geography/maths lesson.

And lessons lasting just a few minutes could help teenagers learn a foreign language or master their times tables, according to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

Mick Waters, director of curriculum at the QCA, said: "Five-minute lessons could be one innovative approach to helping children retain facts.

"There are some subjects that lend themselves very well to short bursts of learning - language is one.

"Five minutes a day on verbs or words could be one way of developing confidence and mastering the basics of a foreign language.

"Similarly in maths, although maths is one of the main curriculum subjects, there may be something to be said for doing the four rules - addition, subtraction, multiplication and division - in five-minute bursts so children can master mental arithmetic."

The QCA said it was not recommending that every school adopt the five-minute lesson approach but that it could be very effective for many pupils.