INTRODUCTION

Developments in British post-16 education in the mid-to late 1990s have been dominated by a New Right agenda and its search for the teacher-and studentproof curriculum, for political accountability and for uniformity of ‘outcome’. This book, drawing from the findings of recent research, highlights inadequacies in that thinking and proposes a very different approach to curriculum reform. It celebrates agency, professionalism and diversity in educational practice and acknowledges the essential contributions of teachers and students to the making of knowledge, learning opportunities and curricula.