Education policies

Question 1

What are the 3 main types of selection?

Answer 1

• Selection by ability: which selected students according to their academic achievement, for example the butler act (1944) which introduced the 11+ exam, passing would lead to a grammar school, secondary modern school if failed or a technical school.
• Selection by aptitude: Which selected students based on potential to be good at certain subjects;
• Selection by faith: which looks at religious commitment

Question 2

Evaluate Butlers Act 1944

Answer 2

It had middle class bias, questions were based on M/C knowledge.

Reproduced social class inequality, grammar schools were full of M/C students while secondary modern schools had mostly W/C

Question 3

What act introduced three marketisation policies in 1988

Answer 3

Education reform act (1988), introduced parental choice, league tables and formula funding.

Question 4

Evaluate the idea of parentocracy

Answer 4

Marxists claim that it is a myth, only those in the M/C have a choice because they possess economic + educational capital

Question 5

Evaluate league tables

Answer 5

League tables have led to cream skimmings and silt shifting, schools understand that in order to get to the top they must be selecting the best students (M/C) and get rid of those who will be assumed to damage the schools reputation (poor exam results) by silt shifting them (W/C)

It reproduces social class inequality through the creation of the educational triage

Question 6

Evaluate Formula funding

Answer 6

It forces schools (which already act like businesses) to be more competitive, making it harder for poorer schools to improve; leading to polarisation of schools.

Question 7

Explain (with evaluation) how comprehensive schools have helped achieved greater equality of opportunity

Answer 7

Introduced in 1965, the aim was to provide a school for all students, no matter their background or ability, all students regardless of social class or ethnicity were taught under the same rood (enabling social mobility).

However, there is still a class divide as schools reflect the catchment area (i.e schools in M/C areas will…); setting and streaming reproduces social class inequality.

Question 8

Explain (with evaluation) how EMA has helped achieved greater equality of opportunity

Answer 8

EMA (education maintenance allowance was introduced) in 1999, with the aim to encourage students form disadvantaged background to study post 16; students were given money to cover material deprivation and thus encouraging equality of opportunity.

However, at the same time of introducing EMA, the labour government decided to increase university tuition fees.

Question 9

Explain (with evaluation) how compensatory education has helped achieved greater equality of opportunity

Answer 9

Which refers to extra services and initiatives to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve in Schools, e.g FSM

However, due to negative stereotyping, some students refuse to take the FSM due to them being worried of labelling

Question 10

Explain (with evaluation) how academies have helped achieved greater equality of opportunity

Answer 10

Academies were first introduced in the labour market to help tackle underperforming schools, the most typical way of undergoing this process is by sponsoring failed schools (Water-head and oasis academy); aiming to improve the overall quality of education.

However, this scheme is run by private organisations and business; implying that they have profit in mind and not the actual pupil, a recent study in 2022 has show that at first there is a lot of money invested but overtime business invest less therefore maintain social class inequality