ABSTRACT
Most general histories of education aim at giving a picture of changes on a national scale, but it is not always possible to check the extent to which such changes actually took place throughout the country. There has been a strong tradition of local independence in English education. This book attempts to show how local and central policies have interacted in recent educational history. Three schools of different type, all situated in one small district, have been chosen, and their development traced from late Victorian times to the present day. In explaining the histories of these schools, however, the study has been gradually broadened to include first the educational changes taking place in the area as a whole, and finally the developments which are taking place on a truly national scale. This is a reflection of the increasing power of the central Government and of the growing uniformity of educational provision.
