ABSTRACT
The effect of governments on a subject may be observed in several different ways: how many students study a subject, the age at which students study the subject, the characteristics of students who study the subject, the way in which the subject is defined and the way in which it is taught. In recent decades the influence of UK governments on the curriculum in secondary schools in England has increased in scale and complexity. To some extent this trend has been mirrored in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, but it is important to remember that the education systems in other parts of the UK are governed by different statutory bodies. Scotland, in particular, has developed a distinctive curriculum reflecting different priorities and a different relationship between publicly owned schools and the state.
