ABSTRACT
The original intention of the National Curriculum was to give the foundation subjects a substantial role in the school curriculum. It was envisaged that they were to be part of the curriculum for all students from 5 to 16. Such an intent did not last long. The overcrowding of the curriculum was quickly recognized, and their status as individual subjects being taught for GCSE was soon eroded. The Dealing Review of the National Curriculum (1994) maintained their status at Key Stages One, Two and Three, but the slimming down of their content permitted many schools to reallocate time away from these subjects to the core subjects of English, mathematics and science.
