These sentences, from Sir Stanley Unwin’s The Truth About Publishing, produced nearly 50 years ago, contain not only some truth but also an element of poignancy for educational publishers as they face the demands of the revised national curriculum. The past 18 months have been miserable for schoolbook publishers because schools have understandably been unable to commit themselves to purchase when they do not know the final shape of the curriculum.

Now that the new Orders have been produced, it is to be hoped that schools will again be crying out for new material. There is no doubt that new titles will be required. The terminology of the curriculum has been radically altered, and the shifts in content between subjects are far-reaching.

Some subjects have undergone greater transformation than others. The School Curriculum and Assessment Authority’s documentation lists 11 major changes in history, eight in English, geography and science, and only four in maths.

There have been many meetings between publishers and curriculum subject officers in recent weeks in an effort to define the new curriculum and determine the books and teaching materials that will be required to implement it (there are similar discussions over the separate needs of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). The timetable that they face is a breathtaking one. Many schools will now be receiving details of their l995-96 budgets and over the spring term teachers and heads will be visiting exhibitions, questioning representatives, ordering inspection copies and scanning mailings for materials.

Chambers’ 2Oth Century Dictionary records that the word “curriculum” has its origin in the curricle - a chariot - and educational publishers must have often imagined themselves participating in a chariot race similar to that in Ben Hur. In less frenzied circumstances, the gestation of a top-line textbook might take three years rather than three months.

The adequacy of funding for book purchases is another vital issue. In recent years, the Department for Education has made specific funds available to schools via the GEST scheme to buy books and teaching materials. The guidelines for this expenditure are now becoming dangerously blurred. At first, precise sums were designated for books and equipment, but the School Effectiveness grant for l995-96 covers a raft of expenditure, including training and assessment. The corollary to choice is guidance, and schools as well as publishers might welcome a clearer indication as to how they can pay for curriculum materials, particularly as inspectors assess their quality.

The buying power of school library services has also been greatly reduced by recent funding developments. A study commissioned by the Department for National Heritage recognises this, with the responsible Minister, Iain Sproat, stating in his foreword that “the school library service offers a cost-effective way for schools to provide the necessary range and quality of learning materials for both teachers and pupils”. It is to be hoped that both schools and administrators will take the message to heart. Books and learning materials are the wheels on which the chariot of the new curriculum must run.

* John Davies is director of the Educational Publishers’ Council

SCHOOL BOOK EXHIBITIONS

School Book Exhibitions

Books for the new curriculum will be on show at the following events: February 1314: Special Needs Scotland Exhibition, Scottish Exhibition Conference Centre, Glasgow

February 16: Lothian Schoolbook and Equipment Exhibition, Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh

April 1011: Mathematical Association Conference, University of Sussex

May 1617: Special Needs North Exhibition, Haydock Park, Merseyside

July 31: UK Reading Association (UKRA) Conference Exhibition, King Alfred’s College, Winchester

Further details from the Educational Publishers’ Council, The Publishers Association, 19 Bedford Square, London WClB 3HJ.