ABSTRACT
There are many different ways in which the term differentiation is used and interpreted in the educational context. In this chapter we will attempt to clarify what we do and do not mean in our use of the term and consider some of the approaches frequently employed. In the not-so-distant past the UK school system was very much more differentiated than it is now. There was a widespread division between grammar and ‘secondary modern’ schools, there was a large section of special schools and there were technical schools. The curriculum within each of these different schools was very clearly differentiated. The grammar schools followed a traditional ‘classical’ curriculum. The secondary schools used a modified version of this with the inclusion of many more practical aspects. The technical school curriculum was intended as a more vocational curriculum, leading directly into certain sections of the workplace. The special schools had a curriculum which was largely focused on ‘basic skills’; both academic and day-to-day living skills.
