Mr Gove gave the example of the US state of Massachusetts as an example of a school system that had applied the principles of a "knowledge-based curriculum".

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In 2008, with full support from NBC Universal and personal support from her husband, she applied to Columbia Business School based on the reputation of their administration, student-body and marketing curriculum.

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The general secretary of the NASUWT teachers' union, Chris Keates, said the national curriculum had been undermined for far too long by the "punitive" school accountability regime based on performance tables and Ofsted inspections.

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