Education And Social Policy 1870-1979

Question 1

What was education prior to 1870 like?

Answer 1

1. Schooling only for a tiny minority of population (higher-class children whose parents could afford to pay)
2. Public and fee charging grammar schools

Question 2

When was the Forster Act?

Answer 2

1870

Question 3

Why was the Forster Act important?

Answer 3

It was the first piece of government legislation on education

Question 4

What did the Forster Act enforce?

Answer 4

Free state education for all children between the ages of 5 and 10

Question 5

In the Forster Act, what was education like?

Answer 5

1. Basic skills
2. Religious and moral values

Question 6

What was the format of education in the Forster Act?

Answer 6

1. Separated by sex
2. Boys taught technical skills
3. Girls taught domestic skills
4. Socialisation

Question 7

When was the Fisher Act?

Answer 7

1918

Question 8

What did the Fisher Act do?

Answer 8

1. Schools compulsory and free up until age 14
   —> state became responsible for secondary education
2. Education system divided along class lines
   —> fee paying secondary schools for MC children who could afford it

Question 9

What ideas began to change after the war?

Answer 9

1. 1918: men over 21 allowed to vote
2. 1928: female voting rights

Question 10

What other perspective became important after the war? What does it say?

Answer 10

Social democratic perspective: a democratically elected government can reduce the injustice in the capitalist market system
—> meritocracy

Question 11

What was education like prior to 1944?

Answer 11

1. Access to education mainly from middle and upper class
2. School leaving age 14 (later raised to 15)
3. State schools under Local Education Authorities (LEAs)

Question 12

When was the Butler Education Act?

Answer 12

1944

Question 13

What was the aim of the Butler Education Act?

Answer 13

Abolish class based inequalities in state education

Question 14

What did the Butler Education Act introduce?

Answer 14

1. Secondary education for all
2. 11+ exam as measure of ability
3. Three types of schools

Question 15

What were the three types of schools introduced by the Butler Education Act?

Answer 15

1. Grammar schools
2. Secondary modern schools
3. Technical schools

Question 16

What were grammar schools in the tripartite system like?

Answer 16

1. For ‘bright’ and ‘academic’ students
2. 20%

Question 17

What were secondary modern schools in the tripartite system like?

Answer 17

1. Basic education
2. No further exams
3. 75%

Question 18

What were technical schools in the tripartite system like?

Answer 18

1. Emphasis on vocational skills and training
2. 5% (only very few actually built)

Question 19

What did the tripartite system intend to do?

Answer 19

Provide separate, but equal types of education for different talents

Question 20

What phrase is used to describe the equal status of students and types of schools?

Answer 20

Parity of esteem

Question 21

Criticisms of the tripartite system

Answer 21

1. 11+ was unreliable (IQ test, not ability)
2. No parity of esteem
   —> secondary moderns seen as ‘second best’
   —> no further exams on secondary moderns, denying pupils opportunity to progress
3. Only very few technical schools actually built due to high cost
4. Unfair selection process + girls had to score higher to get into grammar schools
5. Social class divide remained (grammar schools mainly for MC)
   —> WC pupils labelled as ‘failures’ —> no motivation to succeed

Question 22

What was the result of the tripartite system?

Answer 22

Agreed to be a failure
—> comprehensive schools

Question 23

When were the comprehensive schools introduced?

Answer 23

1965-1979

Question 24

What were characteristics of comprehensive schools?

Answer 24

They were an answer of the labour government to issues with the tripartite system
1. Better facilities
2. Broader curriculum
3. More sporting and recreational activities

Question 25

What did functionalists say about comprehensive schools?

Answer 25

1. Promoted social integration (by bringing social classes together)
   —> However: Julienne Ford: little social mixing because of streaming
2. More meritocratic since they provide longer period to develop abilities

Question 26

what did Marxists say about comprehensive schools?

Answer 26

1. Not meritocratic
   —> reproduction of inequality through streaming and labelling
2. ‘Myth of meritocracy’ justifies inequality
   —> shifting blame from the system to the individual

Question 27

What did social democrats say about comprehensive schools?

Answer 27

1. No parity of esteem
   —> still inequalities and class differences

Question 28

What were general problems with comprehensive schools?

Answer 28

1. Social class divided remained
2. Critics: comprehensive system would lower educational standards
3. Continued tripartite system within the comprehensive system
   —> streaming and setting

Question 29

What educational policy was introduced in the 1960s?

Answer 29

Educational Priority Areas

Question 30

Why were EPAs introduced?

Answer 30

1. According to social democrats, the only way to achieve equal opportunities is by reducing class divide
2. To target resources towards the most disadvantaged

Question 31

What did EPAs do?

Answer 31

1. Add resources to low-income areas
2. Emphasis on pre-school and primary education

Question 32

What was the result of EPAs?

Answer 32

The results were difficult to evaluate since available evidence suggests that EPAs produced little change