ABSTRACT
Many of the issues raised so far (and the arguments still to be pursued), although in the context of England and Wales, are both historically and currently similar to those raised elsewhere. But the very different responses which have emerged owe much to the different histories of these countries. In most cases, the origins of the state systems lay in the provision of education to the poor by religious orders and movements. Subsequent developments reflect, first, different political views about the relation of the state’s responsibility for educational provision and for the curriculum, and, second, the status (if any) of Faith schools within the state system.
