The Action Plan, Scotland and the making of the modern educational world: the first quarter century

This paper argues for greater historical awareness in educational policy debates, not only to understand how we got to where we are today, but also because history provides lessons for current policy and practice. The 16-plus Action Plan, first published in 1983, illustrates these arguments. The Action Plan was the first in a series of reforms which created a model of education characterised by frameworks which cross, and aim to transform, institutional, curricular and pedagogical boundaries. This model also crosses international boundaries and it is becoming a global phenomenon, with Scotland playing a leading role in its diffusion. The paper concludes by drawing present-day lessons from the experience of the Action Plan and subsequent reforms. These are summarised in three general propositions: that a unified framework does not in itself remove inequalities of power and esteem within education; that institutions matter; and that flexibility is not a simple panacea for educational problems.