Primary Education in England: A System in Transition

Abstract

In 1988 the British parliament passed the Education Reform Act intended to bring about wide-reaching changes in the management, financing, curriculum, and accountability of the state system of education. Although these changes are now well under way, it is too early to report their effects. In this article, we describe the primary school system before the act, highlighting the perceived problems the act was intended to solve. We show a system of enormous diversity and with an international reputation for state-of-the-art progressive education. A review of research, however, shows that reality fell far short of the rhetoric and that there was persistent anxiety about standards of attainment, equity, and curriculum management. The main provisions of the 1988 act, relating to a national curriculum and to a system of governance, financing, and accountability intended to allow a market economy to operate, are described. The context of the implementation of the act is then analyzed with special reference to tea...