Conservative policies in education have often been analysed in terms of their neoliberal characteristics. In the early years of the 21st century, the neoconservative themes of education policy are also highly visible, in particular social wellbeing, national character, and British values, strongly influenced by broader contemporary issues but also by longer-term historical legacies. In this seminar we will review briefly the key themes of Conservative policies in education in the 20th century before examining the emergence of neoconservative themes over the past decade, continuities and changes in education policy since the 1980s, and current prospects for new and alternative themes.