In this article, the author begins by outlining the main features of the Fixed Ability paradigm and the Learning Without Limits paradigm (developed in the book of the same name) respectively. It is argued that the Fixed Ability paradigm must be contested if we are to realise the unlimited potential of the working class, a basic premise of Marxism. The author goes on to suggest that while the LWL paradigm is a considerable advance on the Fixed Ability paradigm, and that it accords with this basic premise of Marxism, it is lacking in two respects: first, its inherent social democratic politics, and second, its lack of concern with the emancipatory potential of content in the curriculum. The author concludes by suggesting some spaces within the English National Curriculum where discussions about global capitalism, and its only humane alternative, international socialism, might take place.
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