ABSTRACT
The school is a microcosm of society at large. At school we teach children how to co-exist within the social world of friendships and relationships, how to prepare for work, how to survive in the economic world and how to be part of society with its boundaries and rules. In weaving these patterns of understanding, we teach children a set of values and a way of interpreting the world. Our far from perfect liberal education system in which the child is nevertheless held paramount has evolved out of a decent, responsible society in which the social good has largely been supported by the public sector. This education system is under attack from New Right philosophies in which education is seen as a commodity, teachers are seen as providers, pupils are regarded as consumers and success is measured by outcomes. This goes against the grain of respected educational and management research which shows that it is through co-operation, mutual support and assistance that people not only survive but also flourish (for example, see Johnson and Johnson, 1987; Michaelson, et al., 1989; Zubhoff, 1988).
