*Educational Policies

Question 1

What is OFSTED?

Answer 1

Gave more information to parents to help them make choices in the parentocracy of an increasingly marketised education system.

Question 2

Criticism of OFSTED

Answer 2

Cream skimming – the best schools tended to select the best students, who were predominantly middle class.

Question 3

What are league tables?

Answer 3

Ranking so parents can see how well schools are doing and make a choice.

Question 4

Criticism of league tables [2]

Answer 4

• ‘Cream-skimming’ - highest achievers are selected reinforcing class inequalities
• Selection by mortgage – the house prices in the catchment areas of the best schools increased, pricing out poorer parents.

Question 5

What is the National Curriculum?

Answer 5

So that all schools are teaching the same basic subjects -> made science compulsory for girls

Question 6

Criticism of the National Curriculum [2]

Answer 6

• Subjects e.g. history are still very ethnocentric, excluding EMG’s and focusing on ‘little Englandism’
• Teach to the test - ‘exam factories’

Question 7

What are academies?

Answer 7

Schools operating like businesses - which increases competition
(Sponsored academies taken over)

Question 8

How many multi-academy trusts are there?

Answer 8

1170

Question 9

Criticism of academies [2]

Answer 9

• Study shows council-maintained schools perform better than academies
• Ignores diversity of schools -> ‘cola-isation’

Question 10

What is formula funding?

Answer 10

Funding based on numbers of pupils – which encourages schools to raise standards to increase demand.

Question 11

Criticism of formula funding [2]

Answer 11

• Lower performing schools may lose funding due to inability to attract pupils due to lower ratings -> difficult to improve due to lack of funding.
• Pupils who remain at low performing schools live in catchment & due to ‘selection by mortgage’ are unable to move.

Question 12

What is GIST/WISE?

Answer 12

Aimed to encourage girls into jobs in science, technology, mathematics and engineering.

Question 13

What was the Educational Maintenance Allowance?

Answer 13

• £30/week awarded to pupils in higher education from disadvantaged backgrounds?

Question 14

What happened to EMA?

Answer 14

Was scrapped in 2011 with ROSLA

Question 15

What is National Literacy & Numeracy Hour?

Answer 15

One hour per day of reading and maths

Question 16

What was National Literacy & Numeracy Hour introduced in response to?

Answer 16

Low UK PISA rankings in mathematics and literacy

Question 17

What is Pupil Premium?

Answer 17

• Disadvantaged pupils receive extra funding in schooling - helped especially during COVID-19 e.g. laptops.

Question 18

Criticism of pupil premium

Answer 18

Schools don’t have to be specific in outlining where they spent the funding.

Question 19

What was Aim Higher?

Answer 19

• Aimed to encourage students from disadvantaged backgrounds into higher education

Question 20

What types of parents were in parentocracy?

Answer 20

• Skilled choosers

- Disconnected choosers

Question 21

What were Education Action Zones?

Answer 21

Schools in deprived areas were given extra government and business funding

Question 22

Were EAZ’s successful?

Answer 22

• No, largely unsuccessful and scrapped after its initial run: No KS3 improvement

Question 23

What is multicultural education?

Answer 23

• Aims to recognise other cultures and help EMG’s with achievement e.g. 2003 Aiming High for black Carribbean pupils

Question 24

Criticisms of multicultural education

Answer 24

• Tokenistic - only done to improve the appearance of equality within schools

Question 25

What is PSCHE and M3 in education?

Answer 25

• Incorporate other cultures but also teach British norms and values

Question 26

Criticism of teaching British values?

Answer 26

Goes back to the ethnocentric curriculum of ‘little Englandism’

Question 27

What is hybird learning?

Answer 27

• The incorporation of technology into schools e.g. online learning -> businesses can make a profit through teams & classrooms

Question 28

What does hybird learning mean?

Answer 28

• No more missed days of education e.g. no more snow days :c

Question 29

What is a criticism of hybird learning?

Answer 29

Lower income students may suffer from material deprivation (Swann Report) EMG’s most affected.

Question 30

What influence are Free Schools inspired from?

Answer 30

Scandinavian influence

Question 31

How does academisation help to raise school standards

Answer 31

Poor performing schools are taken over by ‘sponsored academies’ and granted more funding

Question 32

Criticisms of academisation [2]

Answer 32

• Can lead to ‘cola-isation’ of schools

- Takes funding away from local state schools -> inequalities

Question 33

What has globalisation caused?

Answer 33

Increasing of educational standards e.g. ROSLA & A-Level reform to compete with global marketplace

Question 34

What social group is disadvantaged by globalisation?

Answer 34

Working-class males -> decline in manual labour & unwillingness to get qualifications -> ‘crisis of masculinity’

Question 35

What was the 11+ Test? [2]

Answer 35

• Divided up pupils into Secondary Modern / Grammar schools

- BAME pupils expected not to do as well and girls had to get higher marks

Question 36

What was 1965 Comprehensive schools

Answer 36

The tripartite system was scrapped and replaced with local comprehensive schools

Question 37

What did comprehensive schools lead to?

Answer 37

Selection by mortgage.

Question 38

How have academies increased influence of private sector in schools?

Answer 38

Allowed to receive 10% of their funding from businesses/charities which increases the influence of private interests over the running of the school