ABSTRACT
For pupils, the curriculum is not a matter for debate. It is something given to them, in the hands of teachers and presented to them as a necessity, as facts about which they will be tested. For policy makers, on the contrary, the contents of the curriculum and its breadth are very significant. But even here the debate is surprisingly limited. The questions of depth and balance, of overload and proper respect to all the arts and sciences, are often invoked, as are the questions about modern languages or classics or the relationship between physical education and sport. These questions do not go deeply into the purpose of the curriculum. They are more a matter of keeping the different interest groups at bay.
