As we approach the end of the millenium, "citizenship" has become a lens through which commentators have viewed the whole range of social, political and ethical issues. This book looks at how schools prepare pupils to become citizens, what kind of citizens they intend to develop, and how successful schools are in their aims. While it focuses on the lack of opportunities for 14-16 year olds to develop the attributes of contemporary citizenship within the present UK state education system, the argument applies to any educational system that has a statutory, content-based rather than skill-based curriculum.

National Curriculum: National Disaster? looks beyond the classroom and discusses the way in which the infrastructure of school codes of conduct, the physical environment of school sites and the hierarchy of human resources within schools impact on the aims and reality of the National Curriculum. An alternative skills-based educational programme is also outlined which may be more likely to fulfil the expectations that many parents now hold for the education of their children.