ABSTRACT
The curriculum part Michael Gove vision was, at least superficially, simple. An academic subject-based curriculum was the right of every child, regardless of his or her background or ability. In articulating the idea that there is knowledge-for him it was existing academic subject knowledge-that all students have a right to, Gove is expressing his politically Conservative position, as is indicated by his frequent use of the English public schools and grammar schools as his model. There were two sides to Gove's policies which it is useful to distinguish. One is his critique of much dominant educational thinking and its commitment placing the child rather than knowledge and the teacher as the starting point of the curriculum and pedagogy. The second is his positive vision of education, its respect for knowledge and its version of a subject-based curriculum.
