2ED

Question 1

Evaluation of the 1988 Education Reform Act

Answer 1

• Stephen Ball: parent octave is a myth as middle class people have more knowledge e.g. privileged/skilled choosers, semi-skilled choosers and disconnected choosers

Question 2

3 policies introduced by the 1988 Education Reform Act

Answer 2

• National Curriculum: all children taught same things
• League Tables: publication of exam results
• SATS, GCSE and A-Level Testing: used to measure performance

Question 3

Main aims of marketisation of education

Answer 3

• To reduce direct state control over education
• To make schools compete and drive up standards
• To give more choice to parents

Question 4

Criticisms of New Vocationalism

Answer 4

• Cohen: sone work based training is poor quality and is often just used for cheap labour
• A-Levels are seen to be superior to vocational courses, this reinforces class inequality

Question 5

3 things brought in by vocationalism

Answer 5

• Training Schemes: training for young people
• Vocational Qualifications: work related courses (NVQ,BTEC,OCR)
• Work Experience: aims to ease transition from school to work

Question 6

What change did Labour introduce in 1970s and what is it?

Answer 6

• Vocationalism: believed children needed more skills to work in industry

Question 7

Criticisms of comprehensivation

Answer 7

• High standards of grammar schools are lost
• Comprehensives may hold back more able children
• Class inequalities in educational achievements has remained

Question 8

What system did Labour introduce in 1965 and what is it?

Answer 8

• Comprehensivation: meant all children go to the same school regardless of ability

Question 9

Criticisms of the Butler Act

Answer 9

• Reproduces gender inequality as females needed higher scores to get into a grammar school

Question 10

3 types of schools and what are they?

Answer 10

• Grammar: for academic/bright pupils
• Technical: for children who study technical subjects
• Secondary Modern: less academic and more practical

Question 11

Aims of the Tripartite System

Answer 11

• Parity of esteem
• Selection
• Equality of opportunity

Question 12

What year was the Butler Act?

Answer 12

• 1944

Question 13

What system was brought in by the Butler Act?

Answer 13

• Tripartite System

Question 14

Key points of the New Right view of education

Answer 14

• The best way to achieve as a school is to introduce marketisation
• State schools have minimal involvement
• Schools should be run like private businesses

Question 15

Key points of the Social Democratic view on education

Answer 15

• Equality of opportunity

- Supports comprehensive schools

Question 16

What the Labour government try to do? (97-10)

Answer 16

• Maintain a marketisation system whilst also trying trying to reduce inequality in achievement

Question 17

3 Labour polices brought in between 1997-2010 and what are they?

Answer 17

• Homework Clubs: schools were given funding to set up after school clubs, aimed at disadvantage students
• EMAs: payments to students from low income families to encourage them to stay on after 16 for better qualifications
• Aim Higher Programme: aim was to raise the aspirations of social groups who are under represented in higher education

Question 18

Criticisms of Labour policies

Answer 18

• Whitty: argues there was a contradiction between Labours polices to tackle inequality and its commitment to marketisation
• Continued existence of selective grammar schools and fee paying private schools.
  Labour did not abolish either, despite claiming a commitment to equality of opportunity in education

Question 19

What did the coalition government change about Labour policies?

Answer 19

• EMA were abolished and replaced with the Bursary scheme, fewer 6th form students are eligible for this
• Uni fees were increased to £9000 and the system of paying them back changed
• GCSEs, A-Levels and the National Curriculum were reformed
• More secondary schools became academies
• The government encouraged the setting up of free schools

Question 20

What are academies?

Answer 20

• Independent, state run schools, which receive their funding directly from central government rather than a local authority
• Have more freedom over finances, curriculum, lengths of terms and schools days

Question 21

Negatives of Academies

Answer 21

• Critics said it would break up the state education system and open the door to privatisation, private providers running large chains of schools

Question 22

What are Free Schools?

Answer 22

• Mostly set up by parents, teachers, charities, businesses, religious groups but are funded by the government
• The schools are established as academies with increased control over their curriculum, teachers pay/ conditions and the length of school terms and days

Question 23

Positives of Free Schools

Answer 23

• Gives parents and teachers the chance to create a new school is they are unhappy with the state of the schools in their area

Question 24

Negatives of Free Schools

Answer 24

• Schools are likely to be centred disproportionality in middle class neighbourhoods, this will carry on to create a 2 tier system
• Ball: academies and free schools have led to vogue increased fragmentation and increased centralisation of control over educational provision

Question 25

What is endogenous privatisation?

Answer 25

• Privatisation within the education system as schools, colleges and universities begin to operate more like private businesses

Question 26

What does endogenous privatisation include?

Answer 26

• Schools managing themselves like independent businesses e.g. academies and free schools
• Competition between schools for students
• Parental choice

Question 27

What is exogenous privatisation?

Answer 27

• Privatisation outside the education system. This involves the opening up of state education to private profit making businesses