ABSTRACT
In 1988 the government of the United Kingdom passed the Education Reform Act. Among other measures, the Act announced the introduction of a national curriculum, with an assessment and testing system, for children between the ages of 5 and 16 in state schools in England and Wales. (Private schools are not obliged to follow the national curriculum.) Parallel arrangements introduced a statutory curriculum in Northern Ireland. In Scotland, the authorities decided to pursue the goal of a national consensus on the curriculum without legislation, and this has been achieved. The national curriculum in England and Wales includes nine subjects. Three of these subjects, English, mathematics and science, are described as core subjects.
