ABSTRACT
Once upon a time when the curriculum world was younger, when England held the World Cup, when Harold Wilson wore a new Gannex mac and when Houghton was no more than a twinkle in a dreamer’s eye, there were three squirrels — Comtail, Tradtail and Progtail. All were teachers: paid-up members of the NUTS — the National Union of Teacher Squirrels. As teachers they were responsible for initiating young squirrels into the valued aspects of squirrel culture and to prepare them for life in a high-rise society. In particular, they aimed to get as many squirrels as possible to the top of the tree. The main element in the squirriculum was tree-climbing, though nut collection and nut storage were also important components. There were subsidiary subjects, too, offered as options or as activities during the afternoons — activities such as teeth-sharpening, preening bushy tails or barketching for the aesthetically-inclined.
