Brian Simon examines various aspects of the working of Kenneth Baker"s 1988 Act, from the opting out of schools to the effect on curriculum development of the imposition of a national curriculum, from the success (or otherwise) of the much vaunted City Technology Colleges to the consequences of testing children from the age of seven. In the face of the lowering in morale of the profession, the drop in numbers of applicants to train as teachers and the chaos and confusion of an ill-thought out and hastily introduced system, this book offers an assessment of the present position and an optimistic note for the future.