In this extreme form, what is labelled as informal education could become as formalized as some other aspects of the curriculum.For many teachers informal education complements their work by offering opportunities for getting to know students better and for working with students of different ages across curriculum bound­aries.Schools’ councils offer students in some schools opportunities to organize social events or debate issues concerning the running of the school; in some cases they can gain access to agreed areas of decision making on the way in which the school is run.A large number of schools offer lunch-time clubs and after-school activities which range from the small scale, involving a single member of staff, to activities such as drama and music pro­ductions supported by several teachers.Many would argue it is a way of positively [page 63] enhancing that curriculum.

There are those who have a developed view of the contribution of informal methods and contexts to curriculum development; others view their prime purpose as teaching a subject and perceive informal methods as marginal.

Many schools have youth wings attached or in close proximity.