Social Democrats : Role of education

The social democrats are another political ideology but they heave heavily influenced the Labour Party from 1997 - 2010 Labour government were in power and their views on education till have links to ideology.

Vocationalism

Education plays a crucial role in passing work-related skills, and Social Democrats and the New Right advocate for vocational education. The New Labour government introduced policies like the New Deal and Curriculum 2000 to boost vocationalism, enabling students to take vocational subjects as A-Levels.

Vocationalism (Evaluation)

Feminist Buswell argues girls are often pushed into vocational courses, leading to 5Cs, while Marxists Davies and Biesta argue these courses reinforce capitalist values and prepare students for exploitation.

Equality of Opportunity

Both Social Democrats and Functionalists believe in meritocracy. However, unlike Functionalists they do not believe the current education system offers this. Halsey argues that meritocracy is an idea rather than a reality. Education should provide equal opportunities for all students, regardless of their background.

Equality of Opportunity (Evaluation)

New Right criticizes policies for overemphasizing equality, arguing inequality is inevitable and government should raise standards instead of closing the gap, while Marxists like Bowles and Gintis reject meritocracy as a myth.

Wastage of ability

Education aims to remove barriers preventing students from achieving, with Halsey advocating for all students not just middle class, and Social Democrats highlighting the significant skill wastage caused by educational barriers, emphasizing government policies to bridge this gap.

The 1997 New Labour government introduced policies like EMA, providing £30 per week to 16-8 year old working class students, and EAZs, providing extra funding to deprived inner city secondary schools.

Wastage of ability (Evaluation)

Many of the policies introduced by the Labour government were scrapped by the Coalition and the Conservatives for being a waste of money. Walford argued that under New Labour the gap between middle and working class grew.

Investment in education to benefit the economy

Education is crucial for a successful economy, requiring a skilled workforce. Government spending on education is seen as an investment for long-term economic benefits, allowing British companies to be more competitive globally. Between 1997-2010, the Labour government expanded higher education to create a skilled workforce by aiming for half of school leavers.

Investment in education to benefit the economy (Evaluation)

Wolf is skeptical of the idea that increased government spending leads to improvements in equality, while the New Right argues that such funding is often ineffective for the economy.