ABSTRACT
At the present time the teaching profession is under considerable attack from official government bodies, politicians and from theoreticians and pundits. The focus of this discontent has been a perceived failure, on the part of teachers, to address both the learning and the social needs of children. Criticism of the former is usually constructed as sweeping, often anecdotal, claims that ‘standards’ of academic attainment have fallen in schools. Those promoting such views have argued that pupils are performing less well than previously, particularly in crucial curriculum areas like English and mathematics. Levels of hysteria have been reached, particularly in the media, supported by right-of-centre political interest groups. The introduction of comparative statistics, purporting to demonstrate how English schoolchildren are falling behind their counterparts in certain parts of mainland Europe and Asia, has introduced an almost xenophobic air of concern to the matter.
