The Primary Education Curriculum, Neoliberalism And The Teachers In England (1988-1990s)

Abstract

Prior to 1979, the English primary education curriculum had been the secret garden of the Local Education Authorities, the governing bodies and the teachers. Despite the fact that the State attempted to interfere in this aspect, no direct intervention took place. With the coming of the Conservative Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher to power in 1979, neoliberalism was introduced to replace the failing Welfare State policy, which affected different sectors, notably the educational one. This was conspicuous in the passing of the 1988 Education Act, which represented the first official intervention of the State in the curriculum. Therefore, the objectives of this article are the following: to discuss the changes that the Act brought to the English primary curriculum, to evaluate whether the primary education curriculum was neoliberal in content, and to tackle the reaction of the teachers towards it. It has been found that the 1988 Education Act contributed to the reshaping of the primary education curriculum, but failed to introduce the Conservative Neoliberal principles in English education. Even worse, it had the impact of infuriating the primary school teachers who organized national protest.