ABSTRACT
In order to stay where we are, we have to move very quickly. This book was largely written during the run-up to the 1997 general election. During the campaign, the Labour Party identified its priorities as ‘education, education and education’. Within a fortnight of the Labour Government’s landslide victory, it had published plans for two education bills addressing reductions in primary school class sizes and raising standards; including expansion in nursery school provision, improvement targets for primary and secondary schools, and reform of the 14 to 19 curriculum. A senior education minister was appointed with responsibility for standards in schools. Professor Michael Barber was seconded from the University of London Institute of Education to head up a new Standards and Effectiveness Unit within the DfEE.
