educational policy

Education Reform Act 1988 - Conservative gov (Thatcher) - introduced free market principles into the educations system to create greater parental choice & control over state education in an attempt to create competition & raise standards

• league tables - parents can see how well schools are doing & make a choice

• Ofsted - regulate & inspect schools

• national curriculum- all schools are teaching the same basic subjects

• formula funding - funding based on the amount of pupils they acquire - encourages schools to raise standards to increase demand

evaluation - Ball & Whitty

~ cream-skimming - the best schools tended to select the best students who were predominantly middle class

~ the middle classes had more of an effective choice - higher levels of cultural capital

~ league tables encourage teaching to the test - students were only being prepared for exams & had a hollow understanding of the subject

~ silt-shifting - denying access to the working class/boys - seen as being furthest away from the ideal pupil

~ formula funding → sink schools

New Labour gov (Blair) - focus on equality of opportunity

• increased funding to education - education maintenance allowance, encourages students into higher education

• literacy & numeracy hour - sets up foundational skills within students

• Sure Start - free nursery places for younger children 12 hours a week & advice for parents

• tuition fees for higher education

evaluation

~