ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the emergence of a national curriculum. Unlike Northern Ireland, where the curriculum has been defined in terms of broad areas of experience, the national curriculum in England and Wales was conceived of in terms of traditional ‘subject’ areas. Bob Moon shows how these ‘subject’ areas came into being, and indicates the difficulties involved in implementing the 1988 Education Act in this context, difficulties which have led to rapid and continuing revisions. The chapter provides a case study of the move to a national ‘core’ curriculum as described by Martin Skilbeck in the last chapter.
