Education: Policies 2010 – present day Flashcards
3 things introduced by coalition gov
Free schools
Academies
Tougher GCSEs and A Levels
What was objective of coalition for education
To outline and evaluate the educational reforms introduced by the Coalition and Conservative governments since 2010.
Academies
All schools, not just the failing ones, are encouraged to leave local government control and become academies.
Outstanding schools do not need business sponsorship.
Funding is given directly to academies so the schools themselves decide how the money is spent.
Academies also have control over the curriculum taught in their school.
This is further marketising education as schools are now run like business.
Ball argues these policies have created fragmentation of the education system as now there is a variety of provision which limits the equality of opportunity.
Free schools
These are new, state funded school that can be set up by anyone – parents, teachers, faith organisations, even business rather than by the local authority.
They are free from LEA control, do not have to follow the National Curriculum, do not have to employ professional teachers and can set their own admissions criteria.
The government claims these schools raise standards by taking control away from the state and giving parents the power.
This is further marketising education as schools are not run like business by businesses.
However, critics claim they only benefit middle class children whose parents have the cultural capital to know how to open such a school. Therefore, these schools widen the gap between the rich and the poor. Furthermore, they only appear to raise standards, but in fact they tend to get good results because of their strict pupil selection policies. Also, the money spent on opening these schools could be spent on the existing schools instead.
University fees and EMA
The fees have been increased to as much as £9000 per year.
While the EMA has been abolished.
These spending cuts, by as much as 60%, are having a negative impact on pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds as it discourages them from staying in further education and going onto higher education
The curriculum
A Levels were toughened up by removing modular exams thus limiting the opportunities for re-sits.
The National Curriculum changes – the focus is on learning ‘facts’ rather than developing skills. This makes education more traditional, e.g. More emphasis on SPaG and 5 years are expected to learn fractions.
Introducing the English baccalaureate - pupils will be encouraged to take GCSEs in English, Maths, Science, MFL and a humanities subject. It is these that now go towards the school’s position in the league tables.
Ball – these reforms are introducing the ‘curriculum of the dead’ – the reforms are trying to replace modernist curriculum with an authoritative curriculum of tradition – a curriculum that focuses on learning facts and which gives central importance to traditional subjects. It is therefore a curriculum of the dead as its focus lies in the distant past.
The changes to A Levels is negatively affecting w/c students who are now more likely to get lower grades as there are fewer opportunities for re-sits and they lack the cultural capital to succeed in exams.
Pupil premium
In addition to the funding schools receive per student, schools in disadvantaged areas also receive the Pupil Premium – extra funding for the students on FSM.
The aim of this policy was to compensate students for the disadvantages they face.
Schools received around £900 per student on FSM, but this is a lot lower that the extra funding schools received under New Labour.
This money is meant to be spent on the more disadvantaged pupils, but it often isn’t as head teachers have the power to decide how the money is spent. For example, it is being used to fill the gap in school’s budgets created by government spending cuts.
