ABSTRACT
An important aspect of any curriculum is its history: the recent history of the secondary curriculum is a record of inadequate planning, mistakes and missed opportunities. The Baker National Curriculum was immediately criticized for being little different in structure and thinking from the Secondary Regulations 1904. The Review did not solve the fundamental curriculum problems but, having listened to teachers, removed some of the detailed requirements. Some schools have attempted to fill the gap — or at least part of it — by allotting some curriculum time for personal and social education including moral education, sex education and health education. There are no magic solutions, but there is plenty of advice around about how not to attempt curriculum change — for example, Fullan and many others have written about the problems of implementing new ideas.
