Introduction The educational system of a society is fundamental to the development and ultimate advancement of the community. Educators and governments all over the world have acknowledged that the educational structure and practices adopted can have a significant effect on the education of the population. This can lead to significant impact on economic and social outcomes for their citizens. Therefore, all governments are constantly seeking to come up with the most effective system. An effective educational system which yields high results is therefore seen as being essential for a nation’s well being. In a bid to provide effective education, most countries have developed unique educational systems which are as a result of the various cultural backgrounds or even political orientations of the particular nations. The United Kingdom is one of the nations which have set out to come up with an effective education system for its population. The year 1989 saw the introduction of a National Curriculum of subjects which were to be followed by all maintained schools in England and Wales. For the first time, compulsory subjects under what became known as “the core” were dictated by the central government. The government also had a greater say in the educational affairs and British schools became subject to multiple state regulations and were obliged to follow the state regulated curriculum. The National Curriculum requirements cover a broad range of subjects and following of the curriculum is mandatory. This brings about the question as to whether the National Curriculum for England and Wales is aligned to the democratic ideals that England subscribes to. This paper shall argue that the National Curriculum for England and Wales is contrary to the ideals of a democratic learning society. Introduction of the National Curriculum There are numerous definitions of curriculum and each definition depends on particular context that one is looking at. In this context, curriculum is best defined as “A program of activities designed so that pupils will attain, as far as possible certain educational ends and objectives” (Taylor & Johnson 1974; Hirst 1968). Before 1988, decisions about curriculum in the UK were as a result of compromises between central and local government with the central government coming up with broad policy initiatives while the implementation of the said policies was left to the Local Education Authority (LEA). The LEA in turn left policy implementations to the various schools leading to a great variation between teachers in different schools. As such, prior to the year 1988, the role of curriculum creation was left to schools and local authority advisors. The central government undertook a policy of non-intervention in the school curriculum which was regarded as “a secret garden” that was beyond the realms of politicians (Kelly 2009, p.189). The National Curriculum of England and Wales was established following the 1988 Educational Reform which introduced a curriculum consisting of basic subjects that were mandatory to all state schools. While the 1988 Educational Reform Act consisted of various other changes, the National Curriculum was arguably the most major change implemented. Conway (2