EDUCATION social policy

compulsory education act

• 1880

• provided state run elementary schools

• to teach basic literacy and numeracy

• type of education depended on class

education act

• 1944

• tripartite system

• more meritocratic

• introduction of 11+

tripartite system

• grammar schools- academic curriculum, mainly middle class

• technical schools- emphasises vocational training and technical skills

• secondary modern schools- less academic and more practical, access to manual work

• schooling was geared based on individual talents

criticisms of the education act 1944

• 11+ was unreliable- can’t predict someone’s future at 11

• no equality of status regarding the schools

• ¾ of students who attended secondary moderns failed

• social class divisions reproduced as the grammar schools were mostly middle class

comprehensives

• 1960

• equality of education

• 11+ abolished

• by 1979, 80% of students were attending comprehensives

• LEAs held most power (local education authorities)

criticisms of comprehensives

• streaming may lead to self fulfilling prophecy (keddie)

• labelling can lead to inequality (ball)

• they legitimate inequality through the myth of meritocracy

• the grammar to secondary modern divide still remains

education reform act

• 1988

• national curriculum for all state schools

• national system of testing eg SATs

• greater control to individual schools

• parents give parental choice

• schools funded by student

• these established principles of marketisation favoured by the New right

how did the education reform act establish marketisation

• reducing state control

• increasing competition

• parental choice

neo liberal view

• some people are more naturally talented

• education should be meritocratic

• should socialise people into shared values

• promote marketisation as a solution

new right view

• education is failing as its run by the state (one size fits all)

• the system isn’t achieving its goals

• it doesn’t respond to consumer demands

• promote marketisation as a solution

how do the new rights think education should change

• should compete to attract students so parents want to send children to the ‘best’ schools (eg. exam results, facilities, OFSTED)

• this competition will empower the consumers and meet the needs of pupils and parents

• state role should be reduced

• state should only interfere to impose a framework where schools must compete eg league tables or transmitting a shard culture

chubb and moe

• american education has failed and should be more marketised and doesn’t create equality of opportunity

• marketisation would force schools to be responsive to parents and improve standards

policies that promote marketisation

• exam league tables and ofsted inspections

• open enrollment

• formula funding - same funding for each school

• decrease of lea control

• introduction of tuition fees for higher education

david

• parentocracy- rule by parents

• power is now in the consumers hand

• this will meet the needs of pupils and raise standards

evaluation of marketisation

• it increases social class inequalities as only middle class parents use their cultural and economic capital

• good schools can be more selective but worse schools can’t be selective and therefore look unattractive to middle class parents

• popular schools get more funding due to more pupils whereas poorer schools might lose pupils and have to shut down

• myth of meritocracy- not all parents have choice only middle class ones (ball)

gerwitz

3 types of parents

• privileged skilled choosers- mc, economic and cultural capital

• semi skilled choosers- mainly wc but ambitious for children

• disconnected-local choosers- wc, lack cultural and economic capital

bartlett

• marketisation leads to popular schools

• cream skimming- selecting higher ability pupils

• silt shifting- not taking pupils with learning difficulties since they are expensive to teach

gillborn and youdell

• schools are under pressure to stream and select pupils as they need a good league table position and funding

• A-C economy/ educational triage- those who will definitely pass, those who might pass, and those who are hopeless cases

new vocationalism

• work related study where students acquire job specific skills

• conservative and new labour support this

• these are more likely for wc

• this was introduced to establish close links between education and economy and provide a workforce

• these often follow gender stereotypes

new labour policies

• schools apply to specialist school status in specific subject area

• sure start centres

• deprived areas can be education action zones and get additional resources

• aim higher

• education maintenance allowance

• reducing primary school class sizes

• rising leaving school age to 18

criticisms of new labour policies

• contradiction in policies eg tuition fees vs emas

• labours anti inequality policies are merely ‘cosmetic’

coalition government

• from 2010

• leave authority control and become academies

• control over budget and curriculum

• free schools- set up by parents or churches, these have led to fragmentation

coalition government policy anti equality

• spending on education has been cut

• sure start were closed

• ema abolished

• university fees tripled

• as and a2 structure abolished

coalition policies for equality

• free school meals to all under 7’s

• pupil premium- money schools receive for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds

• increasing compulsory education

privatisation of education

• source of profit for capitals - ball calls this the education service industry who are involved in activities such as building schools, supply teachers

• many private companies in the industry are now foreign owned such as edexcel

• vending machines in schools- cola-lisation shows brand loyalty but doesn’t truly benefit schools

globalisation of education

• international comparisons have had deep influence on policies due to international league tables- lead to moral panics

policies on gender

• females excluded initially from higher education

• 11+ meant girls ahd to achieve a higher mark than boys

• introduction of GIST help reduce gender differences

policies on ethnicity

• multicultural education has started to be introduced

• promoting racial equality

• promoting english as an additional language programme

policies on social class

• often depend on the current government’s ideology

• new right promotes competition and marketisation

• social democratic focus on providing equality of opportunity.