Educational policies

1944 Education Act

Tripartite system:

1. Grammar schools (11+)

2. Secondary modern

3. Technical schools

1965 Comprehensive System

11+ was abolished alongside tripartite system

Comprehensive schools replaced them

Local education authorities (LEAs) to decide to go comprehensive, many chose to remain as grammar

1988 Education Reform Act

Policies to promote marketisation:

• Introduction of League Tables

• Ofsted

• Open enrolment

• Formula funding

• Education action zones

• Education maintenance allowances - payments to students’ low income families to stay on to higher education

Parentocracy

David argues marketisation allows parents to choose where they send their children to school

Cream-skimming

The best schools are able to select more middle class pupils

Silt-shifting

The best schools can avoid taking less able/working class pupils that will damage league table positions

Gerwitz parental choice

3 types of parental choosers:

1. Privileged-skilled choosers - middle class who have the most economic and cultural capital to select the best schools

2. Disconnected-local choosers - working class parents who are restricted by lack of economic and cultural capital

3. Semi-skilled choosers - working class parents who are ambitious for their children, but lacked cultural capital to make sense of education market

Academies

From 2010 schools were encouraged to leave local authority control and become academies

Funded by the government or businesses

Free schools

Funded by the state but run by parents, teachers or businesses

Parents can create a new school if they are unhappy with the state schools in their area

Fragmented centralisation

Ball - the introduction of free schools and academies has increased fragmentation and centralised control over education

Policies to reduce inequality

• Free school meals for all children until yr2

• Pupil premium - money schools recieve for taking on pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds

2 types of privatisation

1. Endogeneous privatisation - when state schools operate like private businesses even though they remain publically funded e.g. league tables and marketing

2. Exogeneous privatisation - external private companies run parts of the education system e.g. businesses running academies

Cola-isation

The increasing commercialisation and branding of education, where schools are associated with global corporations and consumer culture.

Hall

Marxist who sees Conservative government policies (academies and free schools) as handing over public services to private capitalists such as educational businesses

Policies to reduce gender inequality

• GIST

• WISE

Policies to reduce ethnic inequality

• Assimilation of British culture

• Multicultural education

• Race Relations Act