social class

Material deprivation definition

The inability to afford basic resources (e.g. food, housing, equipment), leading to educational underachievement

Material deprivation effects

Lack of educational resources; poor diet → low concentration; inadequate housing → disrupted learning

FSM statistics

33% of FSM pupils achieve 5+ GCSEs vs 61% of non-FSM pupils

Housing and achievement

Overcrowding → no study space; temporary housing → frequent moves; psychological stress lowers attainment

Silt shifting

Schools remove working-class pupils to protect league table results

Howard (2001) findings

Poor children have lower intake of vitamins and minerals → more absence and reduced concentration

Bull (1980) cost of education

Hidden costs (equipment, trips) disadvantage working-class pupils

University class inequality

Over 50% of Oxford students privately educated; higher dropout rates in lower-status universities

Callender and Jackson (2005)

Working-class students are more debt averse and less likely to apply to university

Government policies to reduce inequality

EMA (past), bursaries, student loans, pupil premium

Cultural deprivation definition

Working-class children lack skills, values and socialisation needed for educational success

Bernstein restricted code

Simple, context-bound language associated with working class

Bernstein elaborate code

Complex, analytical language used by middle class and in schools

Language and achievement

Schools use elaborate code → working-class pupils may feel excluded or underachieve

Working-class values

Different goals, beliefs and attitudes from mainstream society

Subculture effect

Working-class pupils may internalise anti-school values and underachieve

Job structure explanation

Working-class jobs are low skill with limited progression → less motivation for education

Keddie criticism

Cultural deprivation is victim blaming; working-class culture is different, not inferior

Alternative explanation

Systemic bias in schools favouring middle-class culture

Other criticism

Underachievement linked to external factors like work patterns (e.g. shift work), not culture

Cultural capital definition

Knowledge, skills, language and values of the dominant (middle-class) culture

Cultural capital and achievement

Middle-class pupils have more cultural capital, giving them an advantage in school

Evaluation of cultural capital

Explains some class differences but ignores economic capital and aspirations