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Every empire tends to develop a consensus establishment, and the world of education is no exception. This is particularly true in England where education is avowedly a ‘partnership’. However much their real interests may differ, on the really big issues the Department of Education, the local education authorities, and the teachers' organizations tend to gang up in the end and push the same line. Certainly the leading individuals in each of these institutions are quickly on the sort of christian name terms with one another which can enable a whole host of problems to be quietly compromised out of existence at top level. Without quite being aware of what they are doing, educational journalists are often following the same line, as all their sources come more and more to agree with one another. Of course, the line the consensus takes changes. The Black Paper accuses it of being unduly enamoured with modern methods in primary schools and comprehensive secondary education. But it is worth remembering that it is not so long ago that the consensus was defending just as fervently the infallibility of selection procedures and the theory that secondary modern children should on no account be allowed to take any public examinations whatsoever. Their conversion over the last ten years has only taken place slowly.