Education: Topic 6- Education policy and inequality

Question 1

Education policy in Britain before 1988

What as education like in Britain before 1988?

Answer 1

• Before, there were no state schools, and it was only available for those who could pay, though churches and charities did offer some for the poor.
• Industrialisation increased need for education, resulting in compulsory education for 5 to 13 in 1880
• M/C were given education preparing them for profession careers
• W/C were given basic learning for factory work

Question 2

Education policy in Britain before 1988

Explain the tripartite system.

Answer 2

• This allowed the selection of pupils, based on aptitudes and abilities through 11+ exams
• Introduced Grammar schools (M/C), Secondary modern schools (W/C), technical schools
• Rather than promoting meritocracy, it reproduced class inequality as each school has unequal opportunities
• Produced gender inequality, requiring girls to gain higher marks than boys to enter schools.

Question 3

Education policy in Britain before 1988

Explain comprehensive schools

Answer 3

• Introduced to overcome class division from the tripartite system
• 11+ exams were abolished along with grammar & secondary moderns, replaced with comprehensive schools
• But schools being replaced was up to the local education authority to decide and not all did

Question 4

Education policy in Britain before 1988

What are marxists view on the role of comprehensives?

Answer 4

• They reproduce inequality from one generation to the next through streaming and labelling
• The ‘myth of meritocracy’ legitimises class inequality by making unequal achievement seem fair

Question 5

Education policy in Britain before 1988

What are functionalists view on the role of comprehensives?

Answer 5

• Sees it as fulfilling essential functions like social integration by bringing children with different background together but there was still streaming
• It brings meritocracy giving pupils a longer time to develop and show their abilities

Question 6

Marketisation

What were the 2 points that created an ‘education market’?

Answer 6

Marketisation introduced consumer choice and competition resulting in an education market by:
* Reducing direct state control
* Increase school competition and parental choice

Question 7

Marketisation

What does David argue about parentocracy?

Answer 7

The idea that parents are in charge of the education system. This encourages diversity among schools, gives parents more choice and raises standards.

Question 8

Marketisation: Parentocracy

What policies promote marketisation?

Answer 8

• League tables and Ofsted inspections
• Business sponserships
• Open enrollment
• Specialist schools
• Formula funding
• Schools opting out of local authority control
• Competing for pupils
• Tutition fees for higher education
• Parents can set up free schools

Question 9

Marketisation: The reproducion of inequality

How does Ball and Whitty criticise marketisation?

Answer 9

Policies such as exam league tables and formula funding reproduces class inequalities by creating inequaliies between schools

Question 10

Marketisation: League tables and cream-skimming

How does league tables encourage cream-skimming and silt-shifting?

Answer 10

Publishing league tables ensures schools achieve good results are in more demand and attract pupils. This encourages:
* Cream-skimming: ‘Good’ schools are selective and recruit M/C pupils
* Silt-shifting: ‘Good’ schools avoid taking less able pupils to reduce damages on league table

This produces unequal schools and social class inequalities

Question 11

Marketisation: The funding formula

Explain formula funding

Answer 11

• Popular schools get more funds as they have more pupils, so they can afford better-qualified teachers and better facilities
• Unpopular schools lose income and find it difficult to match teachers skills and facilities of their rivals

Question 12

Marketisation

Explain the study of parental choice by Gerwitz

Answer 12

Study 14 london school. He found that differences in parents economic and cultural capital leading to class differences. He found 3 parent types:
* Priviliged skilled choosers: M/C, use economic, cultural capital to gain education capital for children
* Disconnected-local chooser: W/C, Choices are restricted ny their lack of economic, cultural capital
* Semi-skilled chooser: W/C who are ambitious but lack cultural capital

Question 13

Markertisation: A03

What does Ball argue about the myth of parentocracy?

Answer 13

• It makes it appear that all parents have the same freedom to choose which school to send their child too
• M/C have a higher advantage
• This reproduces class inequality and makes it appear inevitable

Question 14

Marketisation: New labour and inequality

What policies did the new labour government 1997-2010 introduce to reduce inequality?

Answer 14

• Designated depreived areas as education action zones, providing them resources
• Aim higher to raise aspirations of groups who are under-represented
• Education Maintenance Allowance (EMAs): Payments to students with low income backgrounds to encourage them to stay in school after 16

Question 15

Conservative government influence from 2010

What happened to the education system from 2010-2015 by the conservative government?

Answer 15

The gov accelerated the move away from an education system based on comprehensive schools.

Question 16

Conservative government influence from 2010

Explain acadamies?

Answer 16

From 2010 all schools were encourged to become acadamies. By 2021-78% schools became academies
They can decide:
* Curriculum
* Term dates
* School hours
* Budget

Question 17

Conservative government influence from 2010

Explain free schools

Answer 17

Schools are set up and run by parents, teachers, faith organisations, or business’. They can improve standards by taking control from the state and to themselves.
They can:
* Set own pay
* Change school length
* Dont follow national curriculum

Question 18

Conservative government influence from 2010

What does Allen argue about free schools?

Answer 18

Argues that research from Sweden, with 20% free schools, shows that only M/C children benefited.

Question 19

Conservative government influence from 2010

What does Ball argue about fragmented centralisation?

Answer 19

He argues that promoting academies and free schools has led to an increase in fragmentation and increased centralisation of control over education

• Fragmentation: Comprehensive system replaced by patchwork of diverse providers, involving private providers, leading to inequality in opportunities
• Centralisation of control: Central gov alone has the power to allow schools to become free or academies, funded by gov, there growth has reduced authorities in education

Question 20

Conservative government influence from 2010

What are some policies to reduce inequality?

Answer 20

• Free school meals: For all children in reception, yr1, yr2
• The pupil premium: Money schools recieves for each disadvantaged pupils

Question 21

Privatisation in education

What is the privatisation of education?

Answer 21

• The transfer of public assets like schools to private companies.
• Education has become a source of profit for capitalists, Ball calls education service industry (ESI)
• Companies in the ESI are involved in building schools, providing supply teachers, work-based learning, careers advice, Ofsted inspection services

Question 22

Privatisation in education

What does Pollack argue about blurring the public/private boundary?

Answer 22

Many public sectors like head teachers leave to work for private sector education businesses. These companies bid for contracts to provide services to schools
* Pollack argues this allows companies to buy ‘insider knowledge’ to win contracts

Question 23

Privatisation in education

What does Ball argue about privatisation and the globalisation of education policy?

Answer 23

Many private companies are foreign-owned. Edexcel is owned by the US educational publishing and testing giant Pearson.
* Ball argues some Pearsons GCSE exam answers are now makred in Sydney.

Question 24

Privatisation in education

What does Molnar argue about the cola-isation of schools?

Answer 24

The private sector is penetrating education indirectly, E.g. vending machines on schools premises to develop brand loyalty through logos and sponsorships
* Molnar argues schools are targeted by private companies because schools carry goodwill and can confer legitmecy on anything associated with them, like a product endorsement.

Question 25

Privatisation in education

How does Beder criticise the cola-isation of schools?

Answer 25

Schools involvment is limited.
* UK families spent £110,000 in tesco supermarkets in return for a single computer for schools

Question 26

Privatisation in education

What does Ball argue about education as a commodity?

Answer 26

Ball concludes that a fundemental change is taking place in which privatisation is shaping education policies. Policy is increasingly focused on moving to be provided by private companies.