In this film learners, teachers and parents speak about the curriculum now and the challenge in developing a future curriculum.

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Cheryl Burchett, parent
'The main purpose of primary education is to give children a love and enjoyment and enthusiasm for learning.'

Tracey Guest, teacher, Chyngton School
'What works in the national curriculum is that it does provide a structure; it provides a really useful structure, an overview to start your medium-term planning and short term planning on.'

Ternisha, year 10 pupil
'Everything that I'm learning is helping me in my own personal way as well as it's helping everybody in the same way; giving everybody the same knowledge.'

Christine Terrey, Deputy Headteacher, Chyngton School
'The aims and the values behind the national curriculum are very good and I don't think anybody would really disagree with them, it's just that perhaps the way in which it's been organised into subjects and it's been organised so that we deliver content in subject areas isn't actually reflecting all its genuine aims.'

Alice, year 3 pupil
'The worst bit about going to school is going home, most of the time.'

Paula Baddams, Co-ordinator of Vocational Education, Lordswood Girls' School
'I'd like to see it move and I think this is the way it's moving to more of a diploma structure, where they put individual packets of knowledge, if you like, some of it may well be academic knowledge that's assessed in a traditional fashion; some of it may be practical skills that have been assessed by observation, sort of along the NVQ route; and some of it is their personal descriptions of themselves - their work experience, their working in teams, the sort of things that occur in the workplace.'

Jon Anniss, Headteacher, Chyngton School
 'I think the national curriculum does deliver the needs of the majority of pupils. I think where it falls down is in assessment: if you take the year 6 SATs for example, although children can have support with writing, and so on, at the end of the day, it's very literacy and numeracy based.'

Oliver, year 4 pupil
Teacher's voice: 'Do you think you learn thorough playing?'
Oliver: Nodding
Teacher's voice: 'Do you do any playing when you are in the clasroom?'
Oliver: 'Ummm, yes, sometimes.'

Diane Perry, Head of Media Studies, Lordswood Girls' School
'If the focus of the national curriculum was less content based, and more skills development based then it would lead to greater flexibility, I think.'

Rosie, year 10 pupil
'If we don't have those GCSEs or A levels you're less likely to get what you want to do in later life, but I don't think that they should be as important because life isn't just about tests, is it?'

Jon Anniss, Headteacher, Chyngton School
'The national curriculum provides a structure but it doesn't give a lot of guidance as to how to do it: now that can be a good thing and a bad thing - in our school we're trying to exploit that opportunity to do it in a variety of ways. We do feel that children still need a great deal of practical experience. It's very important, especially at primary school, they still get wet, they still get cold, and they know what damp sand feels like.'

Charity, year 7 pupil
'School should be a place for children to get to know other children, to plan ahead and to learn good morals.'

Samina, year 12 pupil
'If I were in charge of schools I would make sure people and students are enjoying what they're learning and it actually does have some kind of meaning to them.'

Disclaimer: This film is intended to stimulate debate. Views expressed are not necessarily those of QCA.
Footage of school activities kindly provided by Becta.