Examines the ideological differences between the education policies of the two main political parties in the UK and discusses the emergence of these differences within the context of the 1988 Education Reform Act. It also looks at the world-wide influence of the "New Right" politics on education.
Denis Lawton is Professor of Education at the Institute of Education, University of London, of which he was Director from 1983 to 1989. He has taught both in schools and at university and is a former Chairman of the Joint Council for the General Certificate of Secondary Education.