Coalition Policies 2010

Question 1

What policies did the Conservative Coalition introduce?

Answer 1

English Baccalaureate
Changes to academies
Increased tuition fees
Free schools
Inequality policies

Question 2

What is the English Baccalaureate?

Answer 2

Schools had to show what percentage of students achieved A-C in ‘core’ subjects: English literature and language, maths, science, humanities (history or geography), and a language

Question 3

What is positive about the English Baccalaureate?

Answer 3

Encourages schools to focus on important subjects

Question 4

What is negative about the English Baccalaurate?

Answer 4

Head Teachers said this might disinterest less academic students

New Labour made languages optional because students would skip it anyway

Didn’t include RE as a humanity, disadvantaging faith schools

Who says these are the most important subjects?

Question 5

What changes did the coalition make to academies?

Answer 5

All schools were encouraged to become academies, not just failing ones

Gave more schools freedom from local authority control

Question 6

What is positive about the changes to academies?

Answer 6

Gives schools freedom to act in their own interest

Question 7

What is negative about the changes to academies?

Answer 7

Ofsted doesn’t check them as often, meaning standards could drop

Question 8

What changes did the Coalition make to tuition fees?

Answer 8

New Labour introduced tuition fees: £3,290 per year
Coalition tuition fees: £9,000 per year

Question 9

What is positive about the changes to tuition fees?

Answer 9

Allows the government to reclaim some of the costs involved with education

Question 10

What is negative about the changes to tuition fees?

Answer 10

Discourages working class students from going to university (fear of debt)

Question 11

What are free schools?

Answer 11

Swedish policy, allowing anyone (e.g. businesses, parents, faith groups) to set up and run schools how they like with government funding

Question 12

What is positive about free schools?

Answer 12

Improves education standards by giving power to parents

Question 13

What is negative about free schools?

Answer 13

Allen (2010): in Sweden, where 20% of schools are free schools, mainly the middle class benefit from this

Sweden’s international education ranking has declined since free schools

Question 14

What inequality policies did the coalition introduce?

Answer 14

Free Schools Meals - giving cost-free meals to low-income Reception-Year 2 children

Pupil Premium - extra school funding for disadvantaged students (e.g. poverty, disability)

Question 15

What is positive about the coalition’s inequality policies?

Answer 15

Directly benefits the working class and disadvantaged students

Question 16

What is negative about the coalition’s inequality policies?

Answer 16

Ofsted (2012): many schools were not spending Pupil Premium money on their disadvantaged pupils

Stigma around FSMs meant some didn’t use it

Question 17

Which theoretical perspectives would like the coalition’s policies?

Answer 17

New Right - goes against ‘one size fits all’ and teaches students skills they need for the business world

Postmodernism - goes against ‘one size fits all’

Question 18

Which theoretical perspectives would not like the coalition’s policies?

Answer 18

Marxists - disadvantages the working class