Abstract
What should guide the construction of a worthwhile curriculum capable of engaging all the pupils in a comprehensive school, and how might such a curriculum be promoted in United Kingdom comprehensive schools in this new century? This article attempts to answer these questions, considering first the ideals that animated the pioneers of comprehensive education in the 1960s and 70s, and then some possible national formats within which a comprehensive curriculum might be framed. Reference is made to US experience in developing the comprehensive high school, and an approach that allows the school to build and assess its own curriculum is discussed. Finally, the climate for a renaissance of comprehensive education in the United Kingdom is considered, and some substantial political obstacles are identified. The defects of the impoverished curriculum promoted by the present New Labour dministration are analysed; it is concluded that until professional judgment is recognised as the vital force for rebuilding the comprehensive curriculum, little progress can be made. Some suggestions are offered for bringing professional opinion to greater prominence in public debate.
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