Towards A Compulsory Curriculum

Written prior to the introduction of the national curriculum, this volume argued for precisely that: a broad framework of a compulsory education at national level for all schools. The author considers the question of the content of his proposed compulsory curriculum in terms of principles derived from a fundamental ethical position and from an analysis of kinds of human activity that seeks to establish important educational priorities. The discussion covers arguments concerning intrinsically worthwhile activities, the need for a practical component of the curriculum and the priority that humanistic studies should have. It puts forward a case for a new concept of voluntary education, partly on the model of the Pioneer organizations of Eastern Europe, to supplement the compulsory curriculum.

Written prior to the introduction of the national curriculum, this volume argued for precisely that: a broad framework of a compulsory education at national level for all schools. The author considers the question of the content of his proposed compulsory curriculum in terms of principles derived from a fundamental ethical position and from an analysis of kinds of human activity that seeks to establish important educational priorities. The discussion covers arguments concerning intrinsically worthwhile activities, the need for a practical component of the curriculum and the priority that humanistic studies should have. It puts forward a case for a new concept of voluntary education, partly on the model of the Pioneer organizations of Eastern Europe, to supplement the compulsory curriculum.