The development, in 1982 of a new, private, secondary school, in a rural environment, created a need for the design, initially at Year 7 and 8 level, of a suitable Social science curriculum. Many elements such as objectives, content, methods, and evaluation go to make up a school curriculum, however the argument was put forward that more information than this was required. A situational analysis, where many factors relating to the students, the school and the teacher are looked at in more detail, should also be included. The requirement to have a Social science course available for the beginning of the new school year meant that certain assumptions had to be made in regard to the students needs, interests and abilities. To check the validity of the assumptions it was necessary to question the students and their parents, after which modifications could be made to the course, as required. The present study looks at the stages involved in the design, assessment and final evaluation of a suitable Social science course, for Year 7 students, in a particular school.