ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to isolate a number of issues – range, structure, continuity, consistency and evaluation – and has related these to the primary curriculum in general and to primary science in particular. The range of primary science itself and the relative emphasis to be placed on particular aspects of work have also been 'contested'. The issue of inter-school continuity has tended to be neglected in primary science partly because of the underdeveloped nature of the subject in many schools and partly because of the problems encountered more generally in primary-secondary liaison. The curriculum is a major means through which children are introduced to valued skills, interests, attitudes, concepts and knowledge. The chapter outlines the nature of some of the contestations surrounding the primary curriculum in general and primary science in particular through discussing a number of issues of current concern.
