ABSTRACT

This chapter explores the nature of contemporary educational discourse, taking English primary schooling as a case study of some of the underlying trends and tensions in society. It presents a brief overview of some of the key elements of the legislative reforms of the early 1990s and the particular concatenation of historical and political circumstances which gave rise to them. As Elliott suggests, contemporary assessment policies have played a central role in ‘changing the rules which shape educational thought and practice. They are part of a language game which serves the interests of power and legitimates those interests in terms of the performativity criterion.’ The chapter suggests that the growing ‘performance’ orientation of English primary schools may lead to a substantial number of learners who are put off the business of learning at a relatively young age by the experience of failure.