ABSTRACT
In social and personal education, more than in any other aspect of the school curriculum, there needs to be a unity of purpose to which all teachers subscribe and work towards. Unity will be evident as social education is seen as a cohesive and coherent whole running from five to eleven years of age, so that there is no unprofitable repetition but that there is progression. The National Curriculum is described in terms of subjects which form the starting point for curriculum planning. Religious education is also a special case within the National Curriculum. Primary school teachers accept that social and personal education is an integral part of their role. To them the distinction between the academic and pastoral curriculum, frequently made by secondary school colleagues, is false and something they do not understand. One of the great strengths of primary schools is their physical and social closeness to the community.
