Education policies and their impact on achievement

Question 1

1944 education act (the tripartite system)

Answer 1

following end of WWII, the government wanted to re-build Britain through education.
> every child was to benefit from free, state-funded education
> at 11 years old every child would sit a 11+ intelligence test which identifies which school they should go to from three schools:
Grammar schools - those who scored the highest marks in the 11+ test
Technical schools - for those gifted in practical work
Secondary- modern school - for everybody else.
EVAL - tripartite system produced social class inequality - most grammar school students were offered much better education - the system ‘legitimated inequality’

Question 2

Comprehensive education policy
1960s

Answer 2

brought in from 1965 onwards to reduce inequality by abolishing 11+ test and replacing grammar schools and secondary modern with comprehensive schools (all inclusive schools)
> schools would continue to cater for pupils’ different abilities through ‘setting’ and ‘streaming’
> pupils from a range of different social backgrounds would be able to mix together.
EVAL - social class inequalities remained

Question 3

Conservative education policy
1980s
AIM 1

Answer 3

Aim 1: Ensuring education meets the need of industry
> one ways of doing this was to introduce and promote ‘vocational courses’ to ensure pupils had necessary skills for work.
> ‘Youth Training Systems’ were introduced, which offered school leavers opportunity to study for ‘vocational qualifications’
EVAL - job shortage was the real problem not skill shortage.
EVAL - students often received poor-quality training

Question 4

AIM 2
Chubb and Moe (1977)
Marketisation of education
conservative education policy

Answer 4

by modelling schools on the principles and standards that highly successful businesses use, there will be an increase in standards which the country will benefit from.
Successful business > successful schools
well trained-staff > well-qualified staff
promote themselves well > open evenings to attract people
make profit > good exam results

Question 5

Promoting ‘parentocracy’

Answer 5

dissolving ‘catchment areas’ would mean that parents have greater choice on where they send their child - this encourages schools to up their standards so parents choose them.
> therefore all schools will improve and pupils will benefit from a good education
> in contrast if schools dont improve they wont get many pupils and therefore fail.

Question 6

League Tables

Answer 6

published to give parents information they needed when choosing a school.
> league tables would list a schools GSCE and A-level results
> this drives standards of schools
EVAL - can be misleading, there is evidence to suggest that some of the best school in britain do poorly in league tables.

Question 7

OFSTED inspections

Answer 7

regular inspections and public reports give parents with a detailed insight to how the school performs.
> schools raise standards to get a good report from inspections.

Question 8

new labour policies
1990s

Answer 8

introduced a number of compensatory education policies, which was in order to compensate for problems social groups faced when trying to achieve - hope to create more equality
> put a lot of money into ‘building schools for the future’ programme - particularly meant run-down schools in deprived areas received huge amounts of money to re-build and modernise.
EVAL - the financial crash in 2008, was partly to blame due to new labour for spending a lot on schools

Question 9

Academies

Answer 9

often offer teachers bonuses etc. to help attract and keep the best
> poorer. working class areas prioritises - fopr example John Madjeski Academy in Reading.
EVAL - limited evidence to show academy programmed achieved desired results

Question 10

Education action zones

Answer 10

deprived inner city areas receiving additional funding to help raise standards:
> each zone given £1 million to spend
> teachers encouraged to be flexible and innovative.
EVAL - very costly programme and there was huge variation in the way schools spent it

Question 11

The aim higher programme
1990

Answer 11

1990
> Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds would be encouraged to visit universities to help them get inspired towards success.
> Poorer students were particularly targeted due to their families previously not studying at universities.

Question 12

Educational Maintenance Allowances
1990

Answer 12

> Resulted in poorer students receiving funding of around £30 per week to help them stay in school till the age of 16.
Hoped to tackle working-class underachievement.

Question 13

The New Deal scheme
1990

Answer 13

> This offered education and training to young people between the ages of 18-24 who had been out of work for more than 6 months.
Working class gained advice on the available options suitable for them through work, academical courses and vocational courses.

Question 14

2010-2015
Coalition Government policies

The introduction of academies:

Answer 14

The coalition government introduced laws which allowed successful schools to become academies. These would allow schools to
> Be financially independent, spending money as they fit
Having greater freedom to reform their personalized curriculums.
Be free from the local authority, and council-run control.
Academies allows schools to have healthy competition, helping schools to continue to raise their standards
EVALUATION:
> There is no evidence that academies actually improve results.

Question 15

2010-2015
Coalition Government policies

Introduction of free schools:

Answer 15

> These can be set up by charities, churches or by wealthy individuals in order to help working-class students with funding issues.
EVALUATION:
There is no particular evidence to show great benefit, however, OFSTED have inspected around 158 free schools and there is no evidence to show it is harming child education either.

Question 16

2010-2015
Coalition Government policies

Introduction of raising university tuition fees

Answer 16

> Students were being charged up to £9000 for a 3-year course.
This was largely funded by a student loan, which would be paid in small chunks.
The government said that providing universities with more money, it would help them to compete in today’s world.
EVALUATION:
It has served to reproduce social class inequality.
Callender and Jackson already suggested that there is fear of students going to universities due to the fear of the high costs involved.
Universities became places where only middle-class children were found.

Question 17

The social mobility strategy
2010-2015

Answer 17

> The coalition government introduced pupil premiums in order to help working-class students have a quality education.
Money might be spent on funding 1 to 1 sessions or breakfast clubs which allowed students to communicate more.
EVALUATION:
Schools are unable to spend money on designing the quality of the education that poorer students receive, but instead spend it on keeping the schools afloat.

Question 18

2015- present
Conservative government policies

Academies growing into multi-academy trusts

Answer 18

> The idea is that good schools help to ensure that their influence is felt elsewhere and that they continue to grow and expand.
EVALUATION:
Growing academy trusts are beginning to ‘swallow up’ smaller, yet equally effective schools.
Academies grow like huge business chains, yet this is not good for individual choice and in helping smaller schools to maintain a unique identity and be popular with parents.

Question 19

2015- present
Conservative government policies

Progress 8:

Answer 19

> Progress 8 was introduced as a measure of how much progress pupils achieve in 8 core subjects across their time at school.
This means schools are now based on where pupils end up, rather than where they started.
EVALUATION:
It still remains unfair to a certain degree, less progress is still often made by working-class pupils.

Question 20

The increasing privatisation of education:
Glenn Rikowski (2005)

Answer 20

A
> Marxist Rikowski, highlights in his research how the education system is continually influenced by capitalist, market forces.
> He points out that education is increasingly a commodity to consume with the intention to make a profit, rather than helping young people.
> Multinational companies seek opportunities to penetrate schools in order to make profit e.g. vending machines replace traditional kitchen staff.
>Exam boards are private companies and compete for business.
>Rikowski points out that if current trends continue this way, the education system that we know will be transformed into an organisation that just seeks profits
EVALUATION:
> He exaggerates the extent to which the changes he identifies are taking place.
> Schools are still about providing children with a good education and there is little sign of them being transformed into a profit-making machines.