ABSTRACT
Governors ought to be conversant with anything the Trust or Foundation Deed for their school has to say about what should be taught. Although governors enjoy great freedom in deciding what is taught, the phrase 'public and professional life' indicates the limits of that freedom. It is easy for governors to fall into the trap of thinking that 'what is taught' is the contents of the teaching timetable - French, Physics, PE and so on. Since the vast majority of governors have no experience of teaching these subjects, there is an obvious reluctance to become involved. In any case the content of the curriculum in senior schools is largely dictated by the examining authorities for GCSE and 'A' level. The government introduced the National Curriculum into maintained schools after 1988. Whereas maintained schools are obliged by law to follow the National Curriculum, independent schools are not.
