Education: Selection Policies. Privatization and Globalization

Question 1

What does The Schools Admissions Code forbid?

Answer 1

1. Covert Selection

2. Selection by Ability

Question 2

What has the Baker education Reform Act done?

Answer 2

Made schools oversubscribed due to open enrollment.

Question 3

What are the main selection policies used in oversubscribed schools to pick students?

Answer 3

1. Selection by Catchment area.
2. Sibling Policy
3. Selection by faith
4. Selection by aptitude

Question 4

What are criticms of selection policies?

Answer 4

Results in selection of mortgage - due to house prices by the best schools increasing meaning only m/c parents can afford to send students to best schools.

Tough & Brooks (2007) - ‘covert selection’.
- Schools may make lenghty applications and expensive uniforms to disadvantage w/c.

Question 5

What does Stephen Ball call education (due to privatization)?

Answer 5

“Education services Industry”

• An example of this can be seen with academies or multi-ran academies which are funded by private companies.

Question 6

What are criticisms with privatization of education?

Answer 6

1. Companies have too much influence over the curriculum.
2. Could lead to greater inequality due to wealthy schools and parents affording better resources.
3. Education has become a commodity with profit being placed before pupils.

Question 7

How has globalization affected educational policy?

Answer 7

1. Introduction of free schools = based off Scandinavian schools that were high performing at the time.
2. National literacy and numeracy strategy to help with universal skills for the global marketplace.
3. Additional funding for maths and science in the UK as we rank lower than other nations.

Question 8

How has globalization changed the education experience?

Answer 8

1. Changes to learning and teaching experiences as activities may be influenced by other nations.
2. Migration - changes to the curriculum to make it culturally diverse.
3. Some argue more needs to be done to depart from the idea of ‘little Englandism’

Question 9

What are criticisms of globalisation in education?

Answer 9

1. Limited range of subjects being monitored in the global league table e.g. english, maths and science etc.
2. Cultural differences between nations - most policies are short lived or abandoned.

Question 10

What are the aims of vocational education?

Answer 10

To meet the needs of the economy by ensuring the workforce is equipped with the necessary skills.

Question 11

What was the YTS scheme in the 1970’s?

Answer 11

Was introduced due to high youth unemployment in 1970s.

YTS = 1 yr training scheme for school leavers that combined work with education

Question 12

What were the NVQ’s and GNVQ’s?

Answer 12

NVQ = National Vocational Qualification (1986)

• Taught a particular skill
• Intended to standardize qualifications.

GNVQ = General National Vocational Qualification (1995)

• Qualification in a general area.
• Alternative to A Levels and can progress to Uni.

Question 13

What are Vocational policies like today?

Answer 13

1. FE Colleges provide 16-19 vocational qualifications e.g BTEC’s etc.
2. Employers work with FE Colleges to provide a range of apprenticeships.
3. Introduced the T-Levels - 2 yr course designed to be equivalent of 3 A Levels

Question 14

What are criticisms of vocational education?

Answer 14

1. Apprenticeships mainly benefit the employer/business as it’s cheaper to employ an apprentice.
2. Academic Qualifications have a higher status leading to class divide between w/c , who are more likely to take vocational courses.
3. Funding for FE Colleges has been cut by 12%.