There is a growing interest internationally in research that helps us to understand the best ways to help young children engage with the curriculum in order that they may have the best possible life chances. This text helps to address these issues and consists of seminal articles derived from the forty-year history of the journal Education 3-13’.

Introduction. Part 1 - Learning and teaching (including psychology and philosophy of primary education) Chapter 1: Discovery learning: a personal view, Education 3-13, 1, 1, 6-6 (1973). Chapter 2: I suppose learning your tables could help you get a job – children’s views on the purpose of schools, Education 3-13, 14, 2, 41-46 (1986). Chapter 3: ‘Memories are made of this’: some reflections on outdoor learning and recall, Education 3-13, 35, 4, 333-348 (2007). Chapter 4: It is approaching breakfast and this is a campervan: weather, drawings and grandparenting in N.W. England, Education 3-13, 39, 2, 107-127 (2011). Part 2: Key challenges in primary education (including changes to governance, educational management and leadership) Chapter 5: Challenges to primary education, Education 3-13, 5: 2, 45-51 (1977). Chapter 6: Delegation: Burden or empowerment? Education 3-13, 30: 3, 35-41 (2002). Chapter 7: Planning for leadership succession: creating a talent pool in primary schools, Education 3-13, 34:3, 259-268 (2006). Chapter 8: Every Child Matters: ‘tinkering’ or ‘reforming’—an analysis of the development of the Children Act (2004) from an educational perspective, Education 3-13, 35:3, 213-223 (2007). Part 3: The primary curriculum: Maths, Science, IT and Technology Education Chapter 9: Craft Design Technology in the primary school: Let's keep it primary, Education 3-13, 15:1, 11-20 (1987). Chapter 10: Who is a scientist? Children's drawings reveal all, Education 3-13, 20:2, 30-32 (1992). Chapter 11: Maths from a tube of smarties, Education 3-13, 23:1, 35-44 (1995). Chapter 12: Planning to use ICT in schools? Education 3-13, 29:1, 9-17 (2001). Chapter 13: ‘Science is not my thing’: primary teachers' concerns about challenging gifted pupils, Education 3-13, 34:1, 49-64 (2006). Part 4: The primary curriculum: English, Humanities and the Arts Chapter 14: Getting the message, Education 3-13, 5:2, 22-26 (1977). Chapter 15: Teaching young children about the past, Education 3-13, 7:2, 42-47 (1979). Chapter 16: The quality of writing 7 - 13, Education 3-13, 10:2, 10-35 (1982). Chapter 17: The arts in the primary school: snapshots of practice, Education 3-13, 20:1, 23-29 (1992). Chapter 18: Giants, good and bad: story at the heart of the curriculum at Key Stage 1, Education 3-13, 22:1, 44-54 (1994). Chapter 19: Growing towards citizenship, Education 3-13, 26:3, 3-8 (1998). Chapter 20: Picking a path through the phonics minefield, Education 3-13, 27:1, 12-21 (1999). Chapter 21: Arts education in the 21st century - frill or fundamental? Editorial, 28: 2, 2-8 (2000). Chapter 22: The National Literacy Strategy: missing a crucial link? A comparative study of the National Literacy Strategy and Success for all (SFA), Education 3-13, 34:1, 37-48 (2006). Chapter 23: International perspectives on history education, Education 3-13, 38: 3, 219-223 (2010). Part 5: Primary teachers’ work and professionalism Chapter 24: The primary teacher as servant of the state, Education 3-13, 7:2, 18-23 (1979). Chapter 25: Teachers studying classroom learning, Education 3-13, 10:2, 30-35 (1982). Chapter 26: Educational reform and primary teachers’ work: Some sources of conflict, Education 3-13, 24:2, 13-22 (1996). Chapter 27: Would schools improve if teachers cared less? Education 3-13, 25, 3, 11-22 (1997). Chapter 28: Doing school differently: creative practitioners at work, Education 3-13, 35:1, 47-58 (2007).