The existence in many countries of national curricula might be expected to ease part of the stress felt by teachers by prescribing what should be taught and, possibly, how it should be taught, thus removing from them the individual responsibility of ensuring a broad and balanced curriculum for each child. If, however, the content and methods suggested by a national curriculum seem to the teacher to be inappropriate or irrelevant to children's needs, the teacher may be faced with a conflict likely to increase the levels of stress he or she suffers. The younger the children, the more their immediate needs and interests will appear to compete with remote long-term societal needs likely to be emphasised in a national curriculum. This book seeks to present a range of international pespectives on the interplay between childhood, curriculum and classroom practice. The first part of the book offers a framework for thinking about primary curricula, while the second part presents a range of international views on the primary curriculum from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, southeast Asia, Europe and the USA.