Young people are used to being given infor mation that's short, snappy and accessible - the complete opposite of a party manifesto". The study of citizenship, which was made a statutory subject in 2002, could have a crucial part to play in getting young people turned on to politics.
That is why music remains a statutory subject within the new national curriculum, and in fact there were more entries at GCSE in 2014 than the previous year.
The same narrow view of politics infects our teaching profession, which is increasingly nervous of tackling political issues even though it is expected to do so in the statutory subject of citizenship at schools.
The Patent Act of 1793, authored by Thomas Jefferson, defined statutory subject matter as "any new and useful art, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new or useful improvement [thereof]." Act of Feb. 21, 1793, § 1, 1 Stat.
It covered the statutory subject content that should be taught in core subjects, such as English, mathematics, and science as well as prescribing the content for a range of other subjects such as technology, humanities, the arts, and physical education.
Since that court's formation in 1982, it has espoused two tests for statutory subject matter, and each time has substantially abrogated, if not overruled, the prior formulation.
Among the substantive hurdles that an applicant must clear is the mandate that patents only be issued to applications claiming statutory subject matter within the meaning of §101 of the Patent Act.
It recommended: the Department for Education develops a "work plan" for introducing age-appropriate PSHE and SRE as statutory subjects in primary and secondary schools.
He pointed out that there would be time for "most pupils to study other subjects in addition to the EBacc", adding that "music and art are statutory subjects in the national curriculum, and we are spending over £270m in music education programmes between 2012 and 2016".
All pupils are required to follow courses of instruction leading to GCSE examinations (normally 10), the core subjects of English, mathematics, and science are statutory subjects.
In my view it is within the purview of the commissioner, a statutory officer not subject to general direction, to make such a claim.
