The National Curriculum Design & Technology Working Group Interim Report (DES&WO, National curriculum design and technology working group interim report. London: HMSO, 1988) presented a description of the subject for inclusion in the first National Curriculum in England. This description was both complex and ambitious. The ways in which schools and teachers responded, as revealed by the reports of Her Majesty´s Inspectorate, indicates that it was perhaps overambitious and recently the subject can be seen to be in decline. This has been exacerbated, if unintentionally, by recent government policy concerning accountability measures and attempts to privilege qualifications in those academic subjects needed for entry into Higher Education. Most recently there have been attempts to revive its fortunes through the introduction of a newly formulated examination for pupils aged 16+ years and political intervention to reassess its academic worth.