EDUCATION - privatisation Flashcards
What is privatisation?
this is the process of transferring public assets such as schools into private companies.
in this process, education has become a source of profit for capitalists.
What does Ball label privatisation in education as?
ESI or education services industry
Ball and Youdell’s definition of privatisation
they describe it as when the services that were once owned and provided by the state are transferred to private companies e.g., the transfer of educational assets, management, functions or responsibilities.
Ball and Youdell identity two types of privatisation: privatisation IN education and privatisation OF education
privatisation IN education
Endogenous privatisation
this happened IN the education system, as schools start to operate like a business.
this includes the imports of ideas and techniques to make schools more business-like.
examples include competition between school for students, performance-related pay for teachers, consumer choice of schools, target setting, inspection and per capita funding.
this was sped up under the 2010 and 2015 coalition - there was rapid expansion of state-funded but independently managed academies and free schools.
privatisation OF education
Exogenous privatisation
this involves opening up state education to private profit-making businesses.
private businesses design, manage and deliver aspects of education that were previously run by the state.
this is a newer form of privatisation and B+Y suggest this involves UK and international companies taking over things such as school services, management of schools e.g., like the recent development of privately managed chains of academies.
the branding of schools is also an example of this (private companies selling to schools website constructions, logo development and school prospectus’ to make them distinct)
ACADEMISATION
these first appeared in the early 2000s under Labour through education policy aimed at struggling schools.
the 2010-2015 coalition made them more widespread with the Academies Act 2010.
involves the ownership and operation of state schools being handed from local councils to private organisations such as businesses, religious organisations, charities etc.
although, still funded by the state, schools have been moved from public to private ownership, hence the term ‘privatisation’
by 2021, nearly 86% of secondary schools had academies.
some schools become academies voluntarily - others are forced to academies
ACADEMY CHAINS
multi-academy trusts are charities that have responsibility for running a number of academies - they cannot, be run for financial profit.
schools within the trust can share staff, curriculum expertise, and effective teaching practices to work together to deliver the best outcomes for pupils.
acadmies (in chains or not) are not accountable to the local councils but to the govt appointed commissioners.
FREE SCHOOLS
established by the 2010 Academies Act which allowed parents, teachers, and faith organisations, or businesses to set up their own schools rather than local councils.
supporters of this policy argue that giving parents and teachers control of a school leads to improved exam results and increases parental choice.
BLURRING PUBLIC-PRIVATE SECTOR BOUNDARY
roughly 7% of pupils were educated in the private sector but with the privatisation of most secondary schools, is state education now public or private?
it is FUNDED by govt but it is OWNED and OPERATED by private businesses, charities, and faith groups.
