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Proof has traditionally been seen as an important aspect of the advanced mathematics curriculum. The study reported here examines the proof practices and constructs of a group of students educated within a ‘post‐Cockcroft’ mathematics curriculum. It finds that although, in the spirit of the reformed curriculum, students are actively involved in developing mathematical ideas, this is within a restricted mode in which ideas of enquiry have become largely instrumentalised. In particular, validation is primarily and predominantly empirical, and there is little concern for illumination and systematisation.