Twenty years after the introduction of the 1988 Education Reform Act (ERA), BELMAS (British Educational Leadership, Management & Administration Society) held a discussion forum for academics, teachers and all those interested in education policy and practice. Was the ERA a success or a failure? The one-day forum of presentations and discussions in response to this question attracted almost a hundred participants to the Institute of Education on October 8, 2008. Discussions were based on a series of papers prepared for a special issue of "EMAL" (36.2) in April 2008 and closed with a reflective commentary by Barry Sheerman MP, Chair of the House of Commons Select Committee for Children, Families and Schools. This short report highlights three themes that emerged from the BELMAS' October Discussion Forum: (1) curriculum and assessment; (2) teachers' role in policy-making; and (3) the extension of local autonomy for schools. Some predictions and recommendations offered during discussions are also presented. (Contains 1 note.)