ABSTRACT
Th e expectations and content of the NLS were largely determined by three factors: (a) the values, ambitions and specifi c policies set by government, (b) evidence of successful practice i.e. what worked and (c) evidence about which practices were most likely to scale up and transfer across a large and diverse number of schools. Th e regular fl ow of formative evidence from evaluation was the main driver for decisionmaking at every stage. Previous chapters describe how the NLS, which began in 1998 as the main focus of attention, had to take its place in the broadening education agenda, alongside the numeracy strategy in 1999, then post-2002 in the wider Primary National Strategy, the developing secondary school strategy, and now in the even broader context of Every Child Matters (HM Treasury 2003), which embeds education in a wider framework of objectives related to the care and wellbeing of children. Th is chapter provides a more systematic overview of the evaluation fi ndings with some concluding commentary on the broader strategic implications.
