ABSTRACT
The 1997 White Paper, Excellence in Schools, declared that the newly elected Labour government’s ‘top priority’ was raising standards. Since then reports into schools, further and higher education and ‘lifelong’ learning have reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the modernisation of the whole education system (Dearing 1997; DfEE 1997a, 1997b, 1999a, 1999b). The government’s purpose has also been clearly signalled – education is valued less for its intrinsic qualities of self-development and more for its contribution to creating a new kind of society. Britain’s future prosperity rests with its capacity to develop and harness the skills required to be a significant player in the new knowledge-based international economy, following the path pioneered by the United States (DTI 1998; Reich 2002).
