Education: Educational Policies

Question 1

How could it be said that the 1944 Education Act made the system more meritocratic?

Answer 1

Through the introduction of grammar schools as they are free for all and paid for by the government.

Question 2

What are the criticisms that can be made of the 1944 Education Act and the Tripartite System?

Answer 2

• Only 20% of the country could go to grammar schools
• More places were not made for girls even though they tended to do better on the 11+
• Very few technical schools were ever built due to cost, and only 3% of students ever ended up going to them

Question 3

What influenced the Comprehensivisation of schools?

Answer 3

Floud and Halsey (1956)
The 11+ was unfair on children from a working class background. The best way to boost social mobility was to give all students access to the same educational opportunity.

Question 4

What was the New Right criticism of Comprehensivisation?

Answer 4

Progress was stagnated; more time was spent dealing with behavioural issues and high achieving students were held back.

Question 5

What is a Comprehensive school?

Answer 5

Mixed ability schools that no longer selected pupils based on academic ability, created to be more socially exclusive and less divisive.

Question 6

What is a Postmodern criticism of Comprehensives?

Answer 6

They are one size fits all but does it really fit the needs of all students. Education of different students are far too diverse for this one size fits all structure.

Question 7

What did the 1988 Education Reform Act introduce?

Answer 7

• National League tables
• SATs
• Formula Funding
• National Curriculum
• Management of schools

Question 8

How were schools ‘marketised’ by the 1988 Education Act?

Answer 8

League tables were created; parents gained choice of which comprehensive to send their children to. A Nationa Curriculum standardised what is was expected of children to know.

Question 9

What is Formula Funding?

Answer 9

Schools were funded on the basis of how many pupils they attracted. This increased competition between schools and provided incentive to perform well and be placed highly on the league table in order to attract parents (‘customers’)

Question 10

What did National League tables lead to?

Answer 10

• More parental choice (Chubb and Moe: drives competition which boosts educational standards)
• Catchment Areas

Question 11

What is the issue with catchment areas?

Answer 11

Marxists would argue that this is another way for the upper classes to retain power as they can get their children into the best schools as they can afford the rising house prices in the catchment areas of the higher schools in the league table, whereas the working class can’t. This means the working class will get a resultant lower standard of education and not be able to get into the better jobs, keeping power within the bourgeois

Question 12

What criticisms can be made of marketisation?

Answer 12

• Selection through house prices/ affordability of homes relative to income
• Pressures on school / competition led to schools trying to show improvement over the quality of provision for the young people in their care
• Creation of an A-C economy left some students behind

Question 13

How has the marketisation of schools improved schools?

Answer 13

• More dynamism in producing ‘results’ for the children
• Pass rates in English and Maths have increased
• More accountability and more focus on progress has led to better measures for judging school improvement since 2010
• Failing schools have been given a fresh start by dynamic school leaders and the support of extra money.

Question 14

What was the 1976 Ruskin Speech?

Answer 14

A questioning of the sustainability of the education system for providing children with the skills to succeed.