The politics of education since the election of the Labour Government in 1997 show a continuance of central surveillance and control which were such features of the previous administrations. he downward thrust of perfomativity accountability and a general and specific interference of policy makers at local authority and school level has been a major feature militating against the apparent desire of the DFES to ‘lighten’ control and encourage creativity at school and classroom level (Whitty 2002, Alexander 2004, Ball 2005 and Wood and Jeffrey 2003) . This article will analyse these policy issues in the context of primary education drawing on the analytic frameworks set out by Ball (op cit), Fitz et al (2006). The National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy established a set of pedagogical imperatives that were intertwined with an inspection regime which has been used to enforce compliance even though the strategies were not mandated in legislation. This use of what Hood et al refer to as the nuclear weapon of inspection we show to have been central in enforcing these strategies. The change in inspection since 2005 rather than decreasing the effects described by Hood et al (op cit) has ensured that school managers and leaders take on the role of surveillance moving the threat of inspection punishment even deeper into the classroom. In 2003 the DfES published the document Excellence and Enjoyment, in the foreword to which Charles Clarke, then Secretary of State for Education stated: “Excellent teaching gives children the life chances they deserve” and “enjoyment is the birthright of every child.” These seminal documents and others in its wake supposedly usher in an agenda prioritising creative teaching and learning. Our analysis of these documents will show how these statements were and are rhetorical flourishes when put alongside the ever-present downward pressure of other policies

The analytic framework that the paer draws on in the analyis of policy is eclectic. It uses the post modern theroetical position adopted by Stephen Ball alongside the theroetical insights from the work of Basil Bernsein used by Fitz et al (2003). Critical discourse analysis (Fairclough (2001, 2003) is also aused as well the authors own framework for the anlyis of classroom discourse.

The paper reviews descriptions and arguments for a pedagogy that is inclusive, creative and learner centred. It is argued that neo-Vygotskianism provides a firm theoretical basis for such a pedagogy. Some analysis is offered of the recent work of Alexander and Nystrand who both argue and offer examples of ‘dialogic teaching’. Data collected over a period of time and from a range of classrooms where teachers produce learning whose outcomes are at or above national expectations despite particularly challenging circumstances. These data show teachers confident in moving away from a mere compliance agenda and interacting with their pupils as partners in learning. A key aspect of this creative approach is the way these teachers ensure that learners ides become significant to the enterprise in doing this they begin to escape form the downward pressure of the perfomativity agenda