Education policy & inequality Flashcards
1
Q
What policy was introduced in the 1944 & what were the main features of this act?
A
- 1944 education act brought in the tripartite system - influenced by the idea of meritocracy
- children selected & allocated to three different types of secondary schools based on abilities ‘sifted and sorted’
- identified by the 11+ exam
3 types of schools:
-grammar schools (academic, middle class, non manual jobs)
-secondary modern (practical curriculum w/c schools)
-technical school (few existed)
2
Q
What were the consequences of the tripartite system? EVAL
A
- tripartite system and 11+ reproduced class inequality by channelling the two social classes into two different types of schools that offered unequal opportunities
< m/c had more cultural capital so could answer Q on 11+ exam - reproduced gender inequality as girls had to gain higher marks than boys in 11+ to gain a place in grammar
- legitimised inequality through the ideology that ability is inborn > some people late developers
- stigmatised children >negative labelling as a result
3
Q
What were the main features of the comprehensive school system?
A
- introduced from 1965 onwards
- aimed to overcome the class divide of the tripartite system & make education more meritocratic
- 11+ was abolished along with grammar & secondary moderns to be replaced with comprehensive
- LEA could decide whether to implement comprehensives
- functionalists supportive of comprehensives > promoted social integration by bringing children of different social classes together in one school
- more meritocratic because it gives pupils a longer period in which to develop & show their abilities
4
Q
Evaluation comprehensive schools
A
- more inclusive system compared to the tripartite model and allowed for late developers by removing the 11+
- Ford > found little real mixing due to internal processes like streaming and setting e.g. top sets mainly m/c lower sets w/c
5
Q
What is the definition of marketisation and when did it become a central theme of government education policy?
A
- refers to the process of introducing market forces of consumer choice and competition between suppliers into areas run by the state > education
- central part since the 1988 Education Reform Act introduced by the conservative government
- neoliberals & New Right favour marketisation
- argue marketisation means that schools have to attract customers (parents) by competing with each other in the market
- schools that provide customers with what they want will thrive
6
Q
What is parentocracy & how do those who favour it say it benefits education?
A
- David describes marketised education as a parentocracy (ruled by parents)
- supporters claims it encourages diversity among schools, gives parents more choice & raises standards
7
Q
What policies were used to promote marketisation under the 1988 reform act?
A
- publication of league tables + OFSTED
- open enrolment
- formula funding
- specialist schools
8
Q
How does league tables + OFSTED promote marketisation/parentocracy?
A
- schools are ranked based on exam results and publicised to parents > creates competition between schools to attract higher achieving pupils so they are thus incentivised to focus on academic success to climb rankings (survival of the fittest)
- independent inspections produce public reports rating schools (e.g. outstanding, requires improvement) thus schools have to compete to perform well in inspections to attract parents & funding
- parents use these league tables & reports to make informed decision about where to send their children > allowing them to pick the best schools
9
Q
Evaluation of league tables & OFSTED reports as policies
A
- Barltett > this encourages schools to cream skim able students and silt shift less able ones > meaning lower class schools spiral into decline increasing inequality
- Gewirtz > only m/c parents can truly choose based on league tables and OFSTED reports as w/c parents lack cultural capital and resources to interpret such data
- Ball & Whitty > created inequality between schools
10
Q
How does specialist schools promote marketisation/parentocracy?
A
- schools specilaise in subjects like science, languages or technology differentiate themselves & attract certain types of pupils
- this offers greater diversity and tailored educational experiences for parents to select from > fitting their child’s talents and interests
11
Q
What are the characteristics of the privileged skilled choosers identified by Gewirtz?
A
- professional m/c parents who used their economic & cultural capital to gain educational capital for their children
- possess cultural capital > knew how admissions systems work
- could afford to move their children around education system
12
Q
What are the characteristics of the disconnected -local choosers identified by Gewirtz?
A
- mainly working-class parents whose choices were restricted by their lack of economic & cultural capital
- found it difficult to undertsand school admissions procedures
- less able to manipulate system to their advantage
- costs & travel were major restrictions on their choice of school
13
Q
Why does Ball argue that parentocracy is a myth?
A
- education system seems as if it is based on parents having a free choice of school but this is a myth > not all parents have the same freedom to choose which school to send their children to
- myth of parentocracy makes inequality in education appear fair & inevitable
14
Q
Evaluating Gewirtz & Ball
A
- some new labour polices such as AAZs and EMAs did try to soften marketisation effects
- Reays > ambitious mothers research criticise Gewirtz for being too deterministic as not all w/c parents are powerless or passive some w/c families resist structural disadvantages and these mothers actively tried to support their children’s education
15
Q
What were the New Labour policies 1997-2010 aimed at reducing inequality?
A
- education action zones> providing deprived areas with additional resources
- aim higher programme> raise the aspirations of groups who are under-represented in higher education
- Education maintenance allowances> payments to students from low-income backgrounds to encourage them to stay after 16 to gain better qualifications
- national literacy strategy> reducing primary classes & increase literacy & numeracy hours
16
Q
What is the new labour paradox?
A
- contradiction between labours policies and its commitment to marketisation
- e.g. introducing EMA but increasing university tuition fees defers people from going university
17
Q
What did the conservative led coalition governments accelerate the move to from in 2015?
A
- move towards marketisation & privatisation
- aimed to reduce the role of the state in education
- aim was to encourage excellence competition & innovation by freeing schools from the dead hand of the state
18
Q
What was the academies policy?
A
- from 2010 all schools encouraged to leave local authority control & become academies
- funding taken from local authority budgets & given directly to academies by the government
- given control over the curriculum, teachers pay and term dates > creates diversity between schools encouraging parents to shop around
- e.g. Harris federation are large academy chains running multiple schools
19
Q
What was the free school policies?
A
- free schools were set up and run by parents, teachers, faith organisations etc. > meaning that there’s more suppliers in the educational market
- supporters claim they improve educational standards by taking control away from the state & giving power to parents (treated as active consumers)
- give parents opportunity to create new school if they are unhappy with the one in the area > they are a response to demand
20
Q
What criticism have been made about free school and academies?
A
- academies were initially used to target disadvantaged schools and areas, the Coalition government removed focus on reducing inequality by allowing any school to become an academy
- Allen (2010) argues research from Sweden where 20% of schools are free schools > only benefit children from highly educated families
- evidence also show that free schools take fewer disadvantaged student than nearby schools
21
Q
What policies did the Conservative led coalition introduce to reduce inequality?
A
- free school meals for all children in reception to year 2
- pupil premium > money that schools receive for each pupil from a disadvantaged background
22
Q
Evaluation of the policies introduced by the Conservatives led Coalition governements to reduce inequality
A
- Ofsted found that pupil premium is not often spent on those it is meant to help
- governments austerity programme meant that many areas of education had been cut e.g. spending on school buildings, EMA abolished, and uni fees tripled
