2S Timetable, 1971-72

2S timetable: some comments

• 8-period day, 40-period week: single lessons of 35 minutes, doubles 70 minutes.

• Prayers and registration in form room before period 1. Prayers also at the end of period 4, beginning of period 5 and end of period 8.

• Room numbers shown where known.

• Teachers tended to be based in ‘their specialist classrooms’; pupils moved to them. 

• Double periods for practical subjects.

• Most subjects had single periods allotted. “A little often,” was the old maxim.

• Games in alternate weeks for a full afternoon.

• Movement between lessons and around the school resulted in noise, congestion, delays and a reduction in time earmarked for teaching and learning.

• Teachers referred to include: Mr M. O’Brien (Form teacher, religion and English), Miss W. Laslett (geography), Mr P. Tobin (history), Mr R. Berken (French), Mrs V. Gabbay (art), Mr T. Sheridan (mathematics), Mr G. Phelan (PE), Miss E. Dolan (music and science), Mr P. Bone (woodwork) and Mr F. Topp (metalwork).

• On Thursday morning, half the class did metalwork in periods 1 and 2 while the other half did woodwork: after break, they exchanged rooms, subjects and teachers.

• This timetable format was, for the most part, typical for junior school classes throughout the Sixties and early Seventies.

Possible structure and times of the school day, early 1970s

•  9.30 to 10.05 Period 1

• 10.05 to 10.40 Period 2

• 10.40 to 10.50 Break

• 10.50 to 11.25 Period 3

• 11.25 to 12.00 Period 4

• 12.00 to 1.15 Lunch

•  1.15 to 1.50 Period 5

•  1.50 to 2.25 Period 6

•  2.25 to 2.35 Break

•  2.35 to 3.10 Period 7

•  3.10 to 3.45 Period 8

New staff

Appointed during the academic year 1971-72 were Mr Michael McKenna, Rev. R.D. Potter, Mr Michael O’Brien and Mr Patrick Gerard Brennan.

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