This is the earliest surviving timetable and dates from 1910. It is interesting to see how busy their days were with very early starts at 08:30am. Actually, we know from an oral history interview with a student who attended the College in 1913 that the working day started at 7:15am in the Gymnasium with students practising the strength of the vocal commands. Morning lessons were on anatomy, physiology and gymnastics and games were mainly during the afternoons with hockey, lacrosse and netball in the winter or cricket and tennis in the summer. Swimming, fencing and dance were also part of the curriculum. Physiotherapy was an important element of the syllabus and included hands-on practicals with members of the public in the Gymnasium which was converted into a temporary medical room.
Aside from extending the course of study from two to three years in 1917, the curriculum remained relatively unchanged until the late-1940s. Thereafter, change becomes evident as educational institutions respond to government initiatives in the 1940s, 1960s and 1970s to reorganise and improve teacher training.
Timetables, syllabuses, regulations and examination schemes held in the Bedford Physical Education Archive are an informative source for the study of curriculum development in physical education studies in the twentieth century.
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