ABSTRACT
In this chapter we are not going to attempt to review all aspects of New Labour education policy reform or how the various chapters in this book have sought to address that. To do so would be to lose an important opportunity, and besides it would be far too constraining, and ultimately unsatisfying for the reader who would be left with too many loose and unconnected threads. Our intent is both more modest and more ambitious – we want to articulate the defining aspect of New Labour education reform, comment on the consequences that flow from it, while offering a different vision. In doing this we have drawn not only on our own work but also from colleagues outside of Manchester to show that we are not alone but speaking from among a knowledgeable wider research community.
