ABSTRACT
This chapter explores national curricula and reflect on differences between a curriculum document and the curriculum as enacted in the classroom. It introduces some of the broader pressures and influences on what is taught in primary schools, such as statutory testing, school inspections and school type. The chapter discusses the nature of national curricula and have explored how teachers make professional decisions about the curriculum for their pupils. It also looks at the range of influences on the curriculum as it is enacted in classrooms and in variations between national curricula in different countries in the UK. There are two themes that are particularly prominent in the study of curricula: knowledge in the curriculum, and international comparison of national curricula. Despite the resistance to the National Curriculum evident in the public consultation, it was introduced in England, Northern Ireland and Wales in 1988.
