What should we teach in schools?

As so often, interest groups are telling us what we should teach in schools. Today, it's the Historical Association plugging history in the curriculum - for entirely laudable and understandable reasons. Over the last few days, I've seen plugs for evolution (anti-creationism), modern foreign languages, philosophy, and value-based education. Now, as I[ve said before, as a science teacher I was part of the community that set up the initial and overblown statement of the National Curriculum - the description of the science curriculum was what set it all off.

 Let's remember, though, that children ar in school for a limited time - 11 years, about 200 days a year, and no more than 5 hours teaching per day - a total of no more than 10,000 hours. And let's also remember that children are absent, and don't always learn what we teach them. And that much time ius spent on key skills - reading, writing, numeracy, physical activity.