Surely it doesn’t take a genius from Ofsted to come to the conclusion that children are missing out on foundation subjects in the national curriculum in primary schools. ( TES March 30).

With such importance put upon English, mathematics and science, together with the requirement to improve ICT, I find it hard to imagine that schools have more than 30 or 40 per cent of the week to teach the other curriculum areas of art, design and technology, geography, history, music, physical education and religious education.

How are schools able to teach foundation subjects to any standard in the short time available? The teaching of foundation subjects has become very difficult and can be very unrewarding; teaching three subjects well, but seven others badly. Perhaps it is this that the government needs to address if it is to achieve its teacher recruitment targets.

Perhaps the government will amend the numeracy hour: in the teaching of time, it will be shown how 36 hours make one day, and in the teaching of capacity, teachers will demonstrate how to cram two litres into a one litre pot.

Robert Hoare
Sidmouth, Devon