1. EDUCATION - POLICIES

Question 1

BRITAIN BEFORE 1900:

Until the 19th century, how was education provided?

Answer 1

By churches or private schools.

Question 2

BRITAIN BEFORE 1900:

Industrialisation created a need for educated workers, what did this lead to?

Answer 2

Compulsory state-run education introduced in 1880.

Question 3

THE TRIPARTITE SYSTEM:
The Butler Act (1944) introduced free secondary education for all up to 15. This resulted in the Tripartite System. What is this? How was it decided?

Answer 3

Secondary modern
Technical schools
Grammar schools

If you passed the 11+ exam you went to grammar schools and the rest went to secondary moderns.

Question 4

THE TRIPARTITE SYSTEM:

Define Grammar School.

Answer 4

They offer an academic curriculum and access to non-manual jobs and higher education. They’re for pupils with academic ability who passed the 11+.

Question 5

THE TRIPARTITE SYSTEM:

Define Secondary Modern

Answer 5

They offer a non-academic, practice curriculum with access to manual work to pupils who failed the 11+.

Question 6

THE TRIPARTITE SYSTEM:
Was it successful in tackling class inequality? Why?

Answer 6

Most of the pupils in grammars were middle class and able to afford tuition. 
The working class ended up in the secondary moderns as they didn’t have those same educational resources. 
It legitimised class inequality as it shows the ideology that ability is fixed at birth based on ascribed status.

Question 7

THE TRIPARTITE SYSTEM:

Therefore, did the Tripartite System create meritocracy?

Answer 7

No, as not everyone has the same capability to do well in the 11+. 
Girls had to score higher and it was in favour of the middle class students.

Question 8

THE COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM:
The Tripartite System was replaces in the 60’s with this system.
Which Governmental party installed this system?

Answer 8

Labour.

Question 9

THE COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM:
The system abolished the 11+. All pupils attended comprehensive schools and gave working class the same opportunities. Why did this not work in some areas?

Answer 9

Some areas didn’t ‘go comprehensive’ as it was left to the local education authority to decide.
This divide STILL exists with 164 grammar schools still open.

Question 10

THE COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM:

Did this system create meritocracy?

Answer 10

No, because they had setting and streaming systems, and grammars still exist.

Question 11

THEORIES IN POLICIES:

How do FUNCTIONALISTS see comprehensives?

Answer 11

They see them as meritocratic as they give pupils longer to develop by not selecting at 11. Some see them as promoting integration by bringing all classes together.

Question 12

THEORIES IN POLICIES:

How do MARXISTS see comprehensives?

Answer 12

They say that comprehensive schools reproduce inequality through streaming and labelling. They legitimise inequality by the myth of meritocracy making it look as if everyone has an equal opportunity.

Question 13

MARKETISATION:
After 1979, educational policy shifted away from the equal opportunists to a New Right emphasis on Marketisation and parental choice.
What are the Marketisation Policies?

Answer 13

League Tables and OFSTED Inspections
Business Sponsorship 
Open Enrolment
Specialist Schools
Formula Funding
Opting out of LEA Control
Compete
Tuition Fees for Higher Education 
Free Schools

Question 14

MARKETISATION:

League Tables and OFSTED Inspections.

Answer 14

Increase competition and give parents more choice.

Question 15

MARKETISATION:

Business Sponsorship of schools.

Answer 15

Consumer choice and competition between schools.

Question 16

MARKETISATION:

Open Enrolment.

Answer 16

Allows successful schools to recruit more pupils.

Schools compete for the best students.

Question 17

MARKETISATION:

Specialist Schools.

Answer 17

Schools that specialise in certain subjects allows for consumer choice.

Question 18

MARKETISATION:

Formula Funding.

Answer 18

Schools receive funding from each pupil. Competition.

Question 19

MARKETISATION:

Opting out of LEA control.

Answer 19

Become a self-governing academy. Can only do if your report from OFSTED is outstanding.

Question 20

MARKETISATION:

Tuition Fees.

Answer 20

Education has hidden costs.

Question 21

MARKETISATION:

Free Schools.

Answer 21

Set up by parents or charities or teachers with government funding.

Question 22

MARKETISATION: 
Miriam David (1993)

Answer 22

Described marketised education as a parentocracy (ruled by parents).

Question 23

MARKETISATION:

The Reproduction of Inequality.

Answer 23

Despite the claimed benefits of marketisation, some critics claim is has increased inequalities.
It encourages schools to publish their exam results to attract parents.

Question 24

MARKETISATION:

League Tables CONT.

Answer 24

Schools with good results and cream skin the best pupils, middle class.
less successful ones end up with the less able students.

Question 25

MARKETISATION:

The Funding Formula.

Answer 25

Schools at the top of league tables - parents choose - cream skimming and enrolment - well funded - schools pays for facilities funded - maintain -
The ‘best’ from the ‘rest’

Question 26

MARKETISATION:
GEWIRTZ: Parental Choice.

Answer 26

By increasing parental choice, it’s an advantage to middle class parents who have cultural and economic capital allows them to better choose schools. 
Gerwitz’s 1995 study shows 14 london secondary schools. She found differences in capital lead to class differences in school choice.

Question 27

MARKETISATION:

Define Privileged School Choosers

Answer 27

Middle Class with economic and cultural capital take advantage of the system, get their kids into better schools and can move to catchment zones.

Question 28

MARKETISATION:

Define Disconnected-Local Choosers.

Answer 28

Working class who lack capital and have to settle for the nearest school.

Question 29

MARKETISATION:

Semi-Skilled choosers.

Answer 29

Ambitious working class frustrated by their inability to get the schools they want as they lack capital.

Question 30

MARKETISATION:

The MYTH of Parentocracy.

Answer 30

Marketisation covers the truth.
Ball (1994) says marketisation gives the illusion of parentocracy. All parents don’t have the same ability to choose their child’s school.
This makes inequality inevitable.

Question 31

NEW LABOUR 1997-2010:

They maintained marketisation, but introduced what policies to reduce inequality?

Answer 31

• Designating deprives areas as education action zones, increasing funding for deprived areas.
• The Aim Higher programme to raise the aspirations of working class students to want to go to university to pursue better careers.
• EMA’s, encourage working class to attend sixth form by providing money for transport and resources etc.
• National Literacy Strategy - reduce class size
• City Academies - fresh start for working class, increased funding.

Question 32

NEW LABOUR 1997-2010:

POSITIVE evaluation of New Labour’s Policies.

Answer 32

• Increased the proportion of children achieving the national average.
• Academies have raised standards.

Question 33

NEW LABOUR 1997-2010:

NEGATIVE evaluation of New Labour’s Policies.

Answer 33

• Contradiction- EMA’s allow pupils to want to go to uni, but they now have to pay tuition fees.
• It left the private education.
• Choice and Diversity are are nice ways of saying inequality- ensures working class remain disadvantaged.

Question 34

COALITION POLICIES 2010-PRESENT:
Conservative-Lib Dem government elected in 2010 - polices have been strongly influenced by Neo-Liberal and New Right Ideas, how did they try to improve standards?

Answer 34

By making schools self governing.

Question 35

COALITION POLICIES 2010-PRESENT:

Academies Act 2010 allowed :

Answer 35

• All existing faith and state schools with an outstanding review from OFSTED to become academies.
• Don’t have to follow the National Curriculum.
• Get money direct from the government.
• Some have business sponsors.
• By 2012 over 50% of all secondary schools had converted to academies.

Question 36

COALITION POLICIES 2010-PRESENT:

Free Schools are…

Answer 36

Set up by parents, teachers, charities and trusts.

Question 37

COALITION POLICIES 2010-PRESENT:

Allen (2010)

Answer 37

Free Schools only benefit highly educated families as they’re socially disruptive and lower standards. They take less disadvantaged children than nearby schools.

Question 38

COALITION POLICIES 2010-PRESENT:

Pupil Premium.

Answer 38

Money than schools receive for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
However some students don’t claim it out of fear of embarrassment.

Question 39

COALITION POLICIES 2010-PRESENT:

What did they cut?

Answer 39

Sure starts
Increase uni fees
EMA’s

Question 40

COALITION POLICIES 2010-PRESENT:

Free School Meals

Answer 40

For kids in reception and years 1&2.

Question 41

PRIVATISATION OF EDUCATION:
Privatisation involves moving functions previously provided by the government into the private sector, to be run by businesses for profit.
Private companies make profit from education, what are the advantages and disadvantages?

Answer 41

ADVANTAGES:
• The services provided are high quality.

DISADVANTAGES:
• Businesses are making profits off students.
• Their focus isn’t on inequality, eg a book is £35.

Question 42

GLOBALISATION OF EDUCATION:

Define Globalisation of Education.

Answer 42

Where British Education Officials will go into other countries and see their educational policies and how their system works, and pitch the ideas back in Britain.