This work traces the competing traditions of English teaching and considers their relevance to the debate through an analysis of English teachers' views about themselves and their subject. The findings are based on a research method in which teachers were asked to respond to and comment upon five different descriptions of their approaches to English teaching. The text: contextualizes current debates about English teaching within the subjects contested history; provides a vehicle for teachers to reflect on their own practice and locate themselves within the debate; and opens up the debate on assessment practices within English teaching. This book reveals the complexities of the teachers views of their subject. It should be a useful read for PGCE students, secondary English teachers and academics interested in the English curriculum debate.