HMI: Matters for Discussion

1 Ten Good Schools
2 Classics in Comprehensive Schools
3 Modern Languages in Comprehensive Schools
4 Gifted Children in Middle and Comprehensive Secondary Schools
5 The Teaching of Ideas in Geography
6 Mixed Ability Work in Comprehensive Schools
7 The Education of Children in Hospitals for the Mentally Handicapped
8 Developments in the BEd Degree Course
9 Mathematics 5 to 11
10 Community Homes with Education
11 A View of the Curriculum
12 Modern Languages in Further Education
13 Girls and Science
14 Mathematics in the Sixth Form
15 The New Teacher in School


Matters for Discussion (1977-82)
HMI Series

London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office 1977-82
© Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland.


Background notes

Historical context

Matters for Discussion was a series of 15 booklets published by HMI between 1977 and 1982.

They were part of the 'Great Debate' about the nature and purpose of education which Prime Minister Jim Callaghan had called for in his Ruskin College speech on 18 October 1976.

The booklets frequently refer to the years of compulsory schooling in secondary school as years 1 to 5. Since the introduction of the National Curriculum these have been designated Years 6 to 10.

They all had similar covers (number 4 is shown here), though they were not all the same colour.

The booklets online

Each booklet is presented in a single web page.

Section headings and footnotes were printed in the margin: I have moved the headings into the main body of the text and the footnotes to their usual position at the bottom of each page - in a few cases this has meant adding an asterisk.

The tables and diagrams are presented as images. A few larger ones are shown in the text as links: clicking on one opens the table or diagram in a new window.

I have corrected a few printing errors.

The above notes were prepared by Derek Gillard and uploaded on 30 October 2012.