Recently, I observed a student teacher teaching a class of 11-year-olds. At one point he was listening to a particular boy narrating a story to link short sections of composed music, à la Peter and the Wolf. He stopped the boy and asked him to read his narrative more expressively; he modelled an example of what he meant and the boy did indeed read more expressively the second time around. Afterwards, the student teacher apologised. ‘I'm sorry, I went a bit off-track, then’, he said, ‘I lost the point of the lesson.’

Secondary schools in England have a recurring problem: their curriculum is generally organised in subjects such that it can appear fragmented, with school students unable to make links between what they learn in one subject (e.g. using the voice expressively in a drama lesson) and what they learn in another (e.g. using the voice expressively in music). Every so often there are moves to make the curriculum more holistic. Recent Labour administrations made several such attempts, re-designing the national curriculum with a single set of aims and explicit cross-curricular themes; introducing initiatives such as the Personal Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS) and Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL); launching a set of qualifications which cut across the usual subject divisions (14–19 diplomas) and giving all areas of children's services a unified set of aims (Every Child Matters).

In this context, there is a need for some clear thinking about the nature of the curriculum including whether students are best served with a subjects (or disciplines) approach, or whether the curriculum could be better organised. This problem comes into focus when teachers consider whether developing the skill of speaking expressively in a music lesson is an extension, a reinforcement, or simply duplication of an English lesson. Hence the emergence of the latest text in the David Fulton/Routledge ‘Cross-curricular’ textbook series, Cross-curricular Teaching and Learning in Secondary Education.

Intended for students on Initial Teacher Training courses and for practicing teachers, the introduction states that the book:

Seven chapters describe: the context for cross-curricular teaching and learning; its principles and purposes; pedagogy and practice; language; use of technologies and approaches to assessment; whilst the final chapter, entitled ‘looking forwards’, presents a ‘Renaissance’ model of the curriculum in which all aspects are interlinked and interdependent. The themes of the book are illustrated with interesting ‘case studies’ of cross-curricular arts practice, including a programme around ‘flags’, Jonathan Savage's and Mike Challis’ projects, Dunwich Revisited and Reflecting Others, Savage's DubDubDub project and a Dorothy Heathcote-inspired project, in which students used a witness protection scenario to explore aspects of geography and drama.

Each chapter is set out in the usual way of such textbooks: it lists its objectives (‘by the end of this chapter you will have . . .’), sets out the main body of the text, with headings and sub-headings to guide the reader, and ends with a summary and a box called ‘Meeting the Standards’ (referencing both Q standards and Core Standards). Along the way are boxes containing ‘Reflective tasks’ and ‘Practical tasks’. In its layout, then, it appears to be a practical guide, aimed at helping teachers and student teachers to implement the government's directives and thus to meet its (current) Standards.

However, as you would expect from the tone of the introduction, it attempts much more. Whether it achieves it or not, is a moot point, for two reasons. Firstly, I think it attempts too much. For example, the content of the introductory chapter includes: defining ‘cross-curricular’, a history of the National Curriculum, notions of curriculum development and pedagogy, and the relationship between teaching and learning. It explores the role of ‘cross-curricular’ in the National Curriculum and reflects on the contribution of the arts to the development of self-esteem and self-efficacy. It glances at teacher identity, considers the curriculum and its relationship with the school timetable, examines the ‘subject’ input to the topic of slavery, describes the 14–19 diplomas, examines personalisation and the role of assessment in planning. It considers creativity in general and imaginative activity in particular, listing the occurrences of ‘creative’ in the English National curriculum. It moves on to Personal Learning and Thinking Skills and problem-solving, before concluding with a note about Professional Standards. It does all this within 25 pages of generously spaced typescript. The second chapter is less crowded but still deals with subject-based learning, Reggio Emilia, Project Zero, ways of combining the arts, the knowledge/skills distinction, the national curriculum for art and music, evaluative thinking, cultural values and creative processes. By the third chapter, so much is ‘covered’ that, in a section about learning theories, the contribution of activity theory is described in only 81 words. Such an approach does not allow for much depth although it is fair to add that this might be encouraged by the reflective tasks. The two chapters on technology and assessment, in which the authors have very considerable experience and expertise, are more detailed, informed and coherent.

Secondly, I sensed a tension as to the book's intended audience. Most obviously, both authors are musicians and, although they have experience of involvement in other art forms, I do not sense a deep understanding of the ‘individual subject cultures’ of art, drama, English or dance educators. (I taught drama for ten years and as a drama teacher, I felt ignored by much of the book.) Although the authors argue that collaboration between teachers is only one way of achieving cross-curricular teaching, this book would probably have benefited from more collaboration. Had a variety of arts educators contributed, the real and abiding difficulties of understanding each other might have surfaced, been argued over and the text might have gained in depth and breadth. Although rooted in the English policy context, the text often refers to the UK as if Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland had the same contexts. It also tries to straddle the student teacher/teacher divide. Clearly, the many opportunities for reflection can be undertaken differently by the two audiences, but this factor increases my impression that the text attempts more than is reasonable.

The book's strengths lie in the thought-provoking questions for reflection, its accessible writing style and in the assessment and ICT chapters. It also raises a number of important questions which will persist even when the present policy context is just a distant memory. Perhaps also, it shows how much work is still to be done in devising ‘cross-curricular’ approaches to teaching and learning.