ABSTRACT
The basis on which children could be divided into teaching groups is an aspect of the National Curriculum (NC) which has aroused controversy in relation to children with difficulties in learning. The NC lays down a framework of what should be taught at various stages and how this should be assessed but does not state the way in which it should be taught. In this respect the English and Welsh national curricula are less rigid than the national curricula that are developed in some other countries. A set of difficulties concerning streaming children on the basis of NC levels relates to children's wider development. If there is a 'level 2' class in a primary school then, in theory, this might contain a majority of 7-year olds plus some younger children with relatively high attainments for their ages and some older children with relatively low attainments for their ages.
