It was first introduced by the Education Reform Act 1988 as simply The National Curriculum and applied to both England and Wales.
There is time and space in the school day and in each week, term and year to range beyond the national curriculum specifications.
The speech has been called "revolutionary" in the context of its time,[6] and said to have "lit a flare that has illuminated education reform ever since".
They are to equip children to the best of their ability for a lively, constructive, place in society, and also to fit them to do a job of work.
It means mitigating as far as possible the disadvantages that may be suffered through poor home conditions or physical or mental handicap.
[10] Under Gillian Shephard's tenure as Education Secretary, a review of the National Curriculum was launched in 1994, led by Ron Dearing.
The final report set out the need to reduce the volume of statutory content, particularly at lower key stages, as well as recommending changes to methods of assessment.
When a new Labour government took office in 1997, its focus on English and Mathematics led to a decision to disapply the statutory Programmes of Study for the foundation subjects from September 1998, to allow schools to spend more time teaching literacy and numeracy.
Following his appointment as Education Secretary in 2010, Michael Gove commissioned an expert review panel to report on a framework for a new National Curriculum.
It suggested significant changes to the structure of the National Curriculum, including dividing Key Stage 2 into two shorter (two-year) phases.