ABSTRACT
If you teach mathematics in a state secondary school in England and Wales then you are bound by certain government policies and professional traditions in relation to the curriculum. There is a National Curriculum and a National Strategy for Key Stage 3, as well as the GCSE syllabuses and external examination structures. In this chapter I will talk about the first two. I suggest that you have a copy of the National Curriculum (NC) with you as you read this chapter. You can download a copy from www.nc.uk.net or you can buy a copy from an HMSO bookshop (DfEE, 1999). Copies of the National Strategy for Key Stage 3 can be obtained from DfEE Publications (DfEE, 2001).
