The Implementation of the National Curriculum in Small Primary Schools

Since the introduction of the National Curriculum following the Education Reform Act of 1988, policy makers have increasingly questioned the ability of small primary schools to provide a sufficiently broad and in‐depth curriculum, especially at Key Stage 2 (age 7‐11). Research findings based on qualitative research in a national sample of 50 schools, of which nine had less than 100 pupils, are used to address this issue. Apart from problems with curriculum planning and the writing of policy documents in small schools, policy makers’ fears are shown to be largely unwarranted for two reasons. Firstly, they fail to recognise certain positive advantages for curriculum provision in small schools. These include greater opportunities for innovative curriculum and classroom organisation patterns and the likelihood of strong and realistic curriculum planning arising from head‐teachers who teach. Secondly, they make misguided assumptions about the nature of curriculum and classroom organisation in larger s...