Here cooking/woodwork etc used to be known as manual and were compulsory in the last 2 years before high school (equ. Grades 6 and 7) with kids being bussed to a facility at one school in each area if not attending an intermediate. It is the same now but less sexist and i think called something else. Music/Drama are compulsory in skome form up to about 9th grade but how it is covered varies wildly. On the other hand except for sone exposure at primary foreign language is optional.