ABSTRACT
By the 1990s, not only was attendance at school compulsory for the majority of children from the age of 5 until the age of 16 but, for much of the time spent there, the content of the curriculum had also become compulsory – at least in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. By the year 2000, the majority of children in England aged between 5 and 11 were compelled to attend school, compelled to follow a defined curriculum and compelled to be taught for part of the day
through a centrally determined method – the literacy and numeracy strategies. Those who were not compelled to attend school were nevertheless to be educated ‘otherwise’ (see below) and those attending private schools were not required to follow the National Curriculum or the national strategies.
