Between May 2002 and June 2003 a number of drafts of the proposed Physicial Sciences national curriculum statement were produced by the Department of Education. Detailed feedback on behalf of the physics community (coordinated by Prof D Grayson) was submitted to the Department of Education on each draft, and a number of improvements were made to the learning outcomes and overall aims as a result. Our contributions were appreciated and acknowledged. However, the details of the proposed content were of great concern, and would have seriously disadvantaged South African learners. Following the SAIP conference at the end of June 2003 the SAIP was able to make a substantial contribution to the physics content. We are very pleased to have been able to be involved in the curriculum development process.