Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence offers an example of a different approach to national curriculum development. It combines what are claimed to be the best features of top-down and bottom-up approaches to curriculum development, and provides an indication of the broad qualities that school education should promote rather than a detailed description of curriculum content. Advocates of the approach argue that it provides central guidance for schools and maintains national standards whilst at the same time allowing schools and teachers the flexibility to take account of local needs when designing programmes of education. Reinventing the Curriculum uses Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence as a rich case study, analysing the strengths and weaknesses of this approach to curriculum design and development, and exploring the implications for curriculum planning and development around the world.

Mark Priestley is Professor of Education at the University of Stirling, UK. He is a member of the Council of the British Educational Research Association.

Gert Biesta is Professor of Educational Theory and Policy in the Faculty of Language and Literature, Humanities, Arts and Education at the University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg. He is editor-in-chief of Studies in Philosophy and Education.