In this topical book, leading academics in primary education evaluate New Labour's Education policy. They draw on the findings of the latest research to discuss the impact of policies on primary school practice and on the views and experiences of primary school teachers and pupils. Current issues and initiatives are analyzed to identify the extent to which policy is shaped by past events, trends and assumptions. The contributors consider the future of primary education, offer recommendations at school, LEA and national level, and make suggestions for future research. "Changing Teaching and Learning in the Primary School" emphasizes the central importance of taking children's perspectives into account when making changes in policy and practice. By focusing predominantly on teaching and learning at Key Stage 2, the book addresses the imbalance between the range and depth of information offered on pre-school and infant education and that available on junior teaching. This book begins with an introduction by Rosemary Webb, and continues with the following chapters: (1) Education Policy under New Labour (Rosemary Webb); (2) National Policy on Primary Education: Inconsistency and Uncertainty over the Whole Curriculum (Jim Campbell); (3) Teachers Perspectives on Teaching and Learning in a Performativity Culture (Rosemary Webb and Hilary Burgess); (4) From "TA" to Assessment for Learning: The Impact of Assessment Policy on Teachers' Assessment Practices (Caroline Gipps, Alison Pickering, B. McCallum, and E. Hargreaves) (5) Pupils' Views of Key Stage Two (Cedric Cullingford); (6) Learning to Love Learning? What the Pupils Think (Yolande Muschamp and Kate Bullock); (7) Creativity in Primary Education (Pamela Burnard); (8) New Technologies and "New Teaching": A Process of Evolution? (Gary Beauchamp); (9) Pedagogy at Key Stage Two: Teaching through Pupil-Teacher Partnership at Key Stage 2 (Peter Silcock and Mark Brundrett); (10) The Inclusion of Children with Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Primary Schools (Elias Avramidis); (11) Teaching Strategies for Pupils with SEN; Specialist or Inclusive Pedagogy? (Ruth Kershner and Lani Florian); (12) Widening the Inclusion Agenda: Policy, Practice and Language Diversity in the Curriculum (Jean Conteh); (13) What a Performance! The Impact of Performance Management and Threshold Assessment on the Work and Lives of Primary Teachers (Ian Menter, Pat Mahony, and Ian Hextall); (14) Leading Teaching and Learning in the Primary School (Linda Hammersley-Fletcher and Rosemary Webb); and (15) Primary Teacher Professionalism (Graham Vulliamy). A prologue by Andrew Pollard concludes this book.