ABSTRACT
How did schools come to assume their present form and function? How recognisable would schools for the twentieth century be to that ubiquitous time traveller? Who were the ideological architects who bequeathed us forms of curriculum and assessment which have been largely impervious to their critics and often sceptical of the prophets? Can schools be fundamentally re-designed when it is only in opposition that governments seem to offer radical solutions and visionary promise? Is there scope for something completely different in the face of public expectations and media pressures which push elected government relentlessly back to safer, shallower waters?
