A National Curriculum and the Sovereignty of Higher Ability Learners

Abstract

Over the past half-century, the British education system has undergone three major changes in relation to higher ability pupils: an extension of opportunity for very able working class children to attend selective, state-funded grammar schools; a leveling out of opportunities within state-funded schools by abolishing the 11-plus examination, the purpose of which was to select higher ability pupils for grammar school entry; and the introduction of a National Curriculum, imposing statutory curriculum requirements for all state funded schools. The main focus of this paper is on the last of the three, and the way in which British teachers perceive how the National Curriculum may have affected educational opportunities and sovereignty of higher ability pupils.