education policy: coalition and conservative policies from 2010

Key developments and reforms: 2010

• academies act introduced:

  • All outstanding state and faith schools are allowed to convert to academies

  • Encouraged private sponsors and educational businesses to run schools, furthering privatisation

• free schools authorised:

  • State funded but run by parents, charities or religious groups

  • By 2014, 331 free schools had opened or been approved

• Higher education tuition fee cap raised from £ 3000 to £ 9000 per year

Key developments and reforms: 2011

• Education maintenance allowance abolished in England and Wales, cutting support for post-16 students from low income families

• Aim higher program scrapped, previously aimed to widen participation in higher education

• Micheal Gove announces school rebuilding plan using private finance initiative - further privatisation of school infrastructure

Key developments and reforms: 2013

• School leaving age raised to 17 as part of efforts to reduce youth unemployment and encourage further education

• Curriculum reforms introduced:

  • emphasis on traditional teaching methods, core knowledge

  • Shift award academic qualifications, such as tougher GCSES + A-levels

Key developments and reforms: 2014

• public premium introduced:

  • Extra funding allocated to students for each child eligible for free school meals

  • Aim to close the attainment gap between disadvantage and better off students

• free school meals for all children in reception, year one and year two were introduced in England

Key developments and reforms: 2015

• School leaving age raised to 18, requiring all young people to stay in education, training or apprenticeships until adulthood

Key developments and reforms: 2016

• University grants abolished for the poor students and replaced with loans, adding to concerns about access to high education

  • Critics worn that this made to high achieving students from disadvantage backgrounds from applying to university

Key developments and reforms: 2017–2024

• Introduction of T- levels (vocational qualifications) to improve skills based education

Evaluation of Coalition and Conservative education policies - advantages

• Raise standards and curriculum rigour

  • Emphasis on core subjects, tougher exams and a knowledge rich curriculum aimed to improve academic performance

  • Some skills, particularly academies, have shown improved Ofsted ratings and exam results

• support for disadvantage pupils

  • Policies like the pupil premium and national tutoring program were designed to close the attainment gap post Covid

  • These aimed to target Support where it was most needed

Evaluation of Coalition and Conservative education policies - disadvantages

• increased inequality

  • Abolishing EMA and maintenance grants, alongside £9000+ tuition fees made post-16 and higher education less accessible to working class students

  • Magnetisation encouraged social segregation between schools

• overemphasis on testing and league tables

  • The system prioritises exam performance and school rankings, leading to teaching that focuses on “teaching to the test” rather than deep learning

  • This increases pressure on students and staff