50 years of statistics teaching in English schools: some milestones

Summary. Over the past 50 years the amount of statistics in the English school curriculum has grown from almost nothing to becoming both a major part of the mathematics taught to all 5–16-year-old children and also an integral part of other school subjects. It has also become well established as a General Certificate of Education advanced level subject and as part of mathematics and other subjects at this level. This paper traces the major events that have led to this penetration of the English school curriculum over this period (generally these comments will also be true for Wales and Northern Ireland, but not Scotland) and attempts to draw out some lessons that can be learned to make effective future developments in statistical education.