ABSTRACT
This chapter considers one of the most important and controversial issues relating to the period 1976-2001, namely the question of educational standards in primary and secondary schools in England and Wales. It begins by exploring the interrelationship between educational reform and the drive for higher educational standards. Using a number of sources of data, it analyses standards in both primary and secondary schools during the period. The chapter not only attempts to make some tentative judgements about whether educational standards can be said to have risen or fallen during the period, but also raises issues about the ways in which performance is measured in England and Wales.
