ABSTRACT
The publication of four documents, namely the Statement of Values published by QCA (1997), the Report by the National Advisory Group on Personal, Social and Health Education (DfEE, 1999a), the final report of the Advisory Group on Citizenship, otherwise known as the Crick Report (QCA/DfEE, 1998) and the recent National Curriculum document on Citizenship for Key Stages 3 and 4 (DfEE/QCA, 1999a), have sharpened public focus on values education and the teaching of citizenship. In many respects, the documents might be welcomed as offering a much needed framework for the curriculum, for the Education Reform Act of 1988 had identified the need for attention to be given to pupils' personal development, requiring the curriculum to be ‘balanced and broadly based’ and one which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils and of society, and prepares such pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life. However, the curriculum resulting from this Act became focused on assessing achievement in the firmly fragmented core and foundation subject areas and, despite valuable guidance on cross-curricular themes such as Citizenship, Health Education and the Environment (NCC, 1990), attention to personal and social education failed to make a significant contribution to the curriculum as a whole.
