Planning education and training for people with different needs is a central political challenge for those concerned in building a just and democratic society. It is a popular assumption that people of 'different' cultural backgrounds have different educational needs. This subject critically examines this notion that difference can usefully be defined by culture, and looks also at such factors as class, history, identity, gender and politics. The subject links debates about culture and difference directly to the practice of planning curricula that meets the needs of groups with marginal or minority status.