6. Social Policies Flashcards
1944 Education act
- Introduced by wartime coalition government, by Butler. It is also known as the Butler Act
- Made secondary education free and compulsory
- Introduced tripartite system and selective education
- Introduced the 11+ test
Tripartite system 1944
Grammar schools- Pupils who were deemed academic would go to these. Pupils would receive traditional education and be prepared for qualifications and university
Technical school- Pupils who were deemed to have a technical intelligence were meant to go to these. Focused on mechanics and engineering etc.
Secondary modern school- For pupils who they deemed to have a practical intelligence were meant to go to these but did not prepare students for university
Selective education 1944
-Grammar schools and the 11+ still exist in several education authorities
-Politicions on the right argue for grammar schools whereas those on the left argue that they are unfair
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Evaluating 1944 education act
- Considered unfair- pupils can develop at different ages; pupils may excel in some subjects and not others
- Grammar schools were overwhelmingly middle class which reproduced inequality between classes as they were getting better qualifications
Comprehensivisation 60’s and 80’s
- Local schools that did not select on the basis of ability
- Introduced in 60’s and intended for all pupils to attend the same secondary school
- By mid 70’s most edcuation authorities had comprehensive and no 11+
- Pushed and enforced by labour
- ‘Grammar school education for everyone’
Evaluating comprehensivisation
- Never quite did what it claimed- some say it just moved selection under one roof due to streaming
- Schools in rich areas were middle class and those in inner cities were working class, didn’t enforce social mobility
- Voactional schools weren’t taught and therefore didn’t produce a workforce
Vocationalism 60’s and 80’s
James Callaghan argued:
- Education system needed to be reformed so people learnt the skills needed to operate in the modern economy
- Led to the development of vocational courses such as BTECS
- Pupils were taught for qualifications in a wide range of subjects such as construction to childcare
- In recent years vocational education has been increasingly delivered in the form of apprenticeships with English and maths alongside
2 policies that promote vocationalism:
Work Experience, careers advisors in school
1988 Education reform act
Margaret Thatchers government , influenced by the New Right introduced a number of reforms, many of them designed to create a market in state education
- National curriculum: all pupils to be taught the same things at the same time which helped make comparisons between schools
- SATs: regular standardised tests to compare how schools were performing
- League tables: tables showing how schools compared with each other
- Formula funding: schools were funded based on how many pupils they had
- OFSTED: more data to allow parents to make informed decisions
Marketisation since the 80’s
- Parents could choose which school to send their child to and had information on league tables, OFSTED etc. The schools that attracted more pupils got more funding which gave an incentive to drive up standards
- Because school places are limited, there was less parental choice in the system than there appeared to be
- There has been further marketisation since, especially in higher education. High, variable tuition fees were intended to create a higher education market
2 policies that have promoted marketisation:
Publication of League tables, formula funding (governments use funding formula to decide how much funding per school)
Evaluating the 1988 reform act
- National Curriculum was criticised for being too restrictive and proscriptive
- Criticisms that SATs put young pupils under to much pressure
- Importance if SATs meant that pupils were taught how to pass the test rather than a rounded education
- League tables only gave academic performance information
New Labour reforms since 1980’s
New labour government introduced a mixture of mor equality of opportunity and outcome.
- Continued marketisation by introducing Academies. Academies tended to be a lifeline for failing schools however now all schools are encouraged to become them. Also introduced uni fees.
- Equality: Education Action zones, EMA
Equality of opportunity and outcome
- Equality of opportunity: the idea that everyone should have the same opportunities and be at a level playing field. Access to education should be equal; no one should have unfair advantages.
- Equality of outcome: The idea that society should be as equal as possible: there should be as small a gap between rich and poor as possible. This includes finding ways to reward and value a range of skills and provide additional support to those who need it
Privatisation
- Endogenous privatisation: schools are privatised from within. The impact of marketisation policies mean schools operate like private companies, advertising against their competitors, treating parents like customers
- Exogenous privatisation: increased role of private companies within education. Academies and free schools are often run by companies.
There has also been a growth in private companies provide educational services such as ‘tutor2u’.
Inspector, fake OFSTED company to inspect school
Globalisation and policy
- Globalisation is the process where the world is becoming ever more interconnected economically culturally and politically.
- The UK education system now compete globally with other countries
- Many countries ahead of the UK and international league tables the UK government policy ideas from successful education systems
- This can be bad as often other education systems have a different environment
Policy today: Conservatives
New Grammar Schools
- One of the proposals at the 2017 general election was to greatly expand the number of selective grammar schools
- This manifesto also proposed ending free school meals for all infants and inducing free breakfast for primary school children
