| Abstract: | This paper comprises five sections. Section 1 is concerned with the aims of education and definitions of pupil success and pupil failure, including criteria for determining success/failure; and section 2 proposes a model of pupil ssuccess/pupil failure which is analysed in terms of (i) ‘within-child’ characteristics and previous learning experiences, (ii) the physical, social and educational environment, and (iii) the extent to which there is a match or mismatch between educational provision and educational needs. The different criteria for measuring success/failure (educational attainment and pupil progress; pupil behaviour; pupils’ self-concepts and expectations of success; attitudes to school; number of pupils assessed as having special educational needs) are identified in section 3, and sources of evidence are analysed. Section 4 traces the legislative basis of educational provision from the 1944 Education Act, through the Education Act of 1988, which introduced the National Curriculum, to the present, while section 5 examines current developments in education. |
