A major Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, receiving royal assent in 1988 under Margaret Thatcher's government, that introduced the National Curriculum for England and Wales for the first time, established a system of national testing at Key Stages, created grant-maintained schools able to opt out of local authority control, and introduced open enrollment allowing parents greater choice of school. It remains among the most consequential pieces of English education legislation of the late twentieth century, reshaping the balance of control between central government, local authorities and individual schools.
Facts
Classification
Education LevelPrimary Education (ISCED 1) 2 Education LevelLower Secondary Education (ISCED 2) 2 Education LevelUpper Secondary Education (ISCED 3) 2 Key ProvisionIntroduced the National Curriculum for England and Wales, national Key Stage testing, and expanded parental school choice, restructuring English education governance. 1 Enacted / Adopted Year Policy Status
Policy Status (category) FAQs
What did the Education Reform Act 1988 say about religious education and collective worship?
Chapter I covers collective worship, religious education and standing advisory councils on religious education.
Alongside the National Curriculum, the first chapter of the Act dealt with religious education and collective worship. Its sections cover collective worship (section 6), special provisions on collective worship in county schools (section 7), religious education in the basic curriculum (section 8) and standing advisory councils on religious education (sections 11 to 13). Section 12 lets those advisory councils determine the cases in which the requirement for Christian collective worship is not to apply.
Connections
Associated With
Source Wikipedia
Additional Source National Curriculum (England), Wikipedia
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationDescription, policy-kind classificationQuote, Description, policy-kind classification
A major Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, receiving royal assent in 1988 under Margaret Thatcher's government, that introduced the National Curriculum for England and Wales for the first time, established a system of national testing at Key Stages, created grant-maintained schools able to opt out of local authority control, and introduced open enrollment allowing parents greater choice of school.
2. Wikipedia: Education Reform Act 1988
Wikimedia Foundationsections of the articleQuote, sections of the article
Primary and secondary schools could, under this provision, remove themselves fully from their respective local education authorities and would be completely funded by central government.
3. legislation.gov.uk: Education Reform Act 1988
legislation.gov.ukChanges to legislation notice on the contents pageQuote, Changes to legislation notice on the contents page
Education Reform Act 1988 is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 03 October 2026.
Wikipedia: Curriculum
Wikimedia FoundationIn Category: Curriculum, Assessment and PolicyView the Source National Curriculum (England), Wikipedia
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