Educational Policies Flashcards
How did the government try to reduce youth unemployment?
By introducing vocational education
What policies influenced gender differences in educational achievement?
- 1944 Education Act: Tripartite system with the 11+ tests for grammar school enrolment (made the pass mark higher for girls, meaning they favoured boys and less girls were in grammar schools)
- Introduction of the national curriculum
What policies influenced class differences in educational achievement?
- The tripartite system (Butler Act 1944) with the 11+ test for enrolment to grammar schools : MC are more likely to pass and therefore receive higher quality grammar education.
- Marketisation policy (meant to increase parentocracy and choice in schools) ; WC lack the cultural capital to choose the better schools (in the league tables)
- MC have economic capital to pay for private schools
-MC have the cultural and economic capital to access league tables and use it to move to better schools
What policies may have influenced ethnicity differences in educational achievement?
- Promotion of diversity and inclusion within schools
- Addressing institutional racism within educational systems (by enforcing anti-discrimination policies)
- Providing support to students from disadvantaged backgrounds
Ways in which government policies may have reduced social inequalities in educational achievement
- Abolition of the tripartite system : meant that all pupils would go to the same type of secondary school regardless of class, gender and ethnicity (more social integration)
- Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) : provided financial aid so that the poorer students can continue with their education post-16
- Pupil premium : Schools get extra money to help the students who may need more support ( e.g extra learning)
Criticisms of tripartite system?
- Technical schools were underfunded
- Class inequalities: Grammar schools were mainly comprised of MC students (20% of all students who actually had opportunities to progress into university and get well-paying jobs); WC were labelled as ‘failures’ and had no motivation to succeed and instead be low MRP (skilled)
- Gender inequalities : Pass mark for the 11+ test for girls was set higher than for boys
(even though girls generally achieved higher marks than boys, they were denied places in grammar schools irrespective of their ability)
2 changes the New Labour government brought to vocational education
- They expanded the number of vocational courses available to students
- They introduced the idea of modern apprenticeships that provide practical training and work experience (alongside classroom learning)
These 2 changes enhance the quality and status of vocational education in the UK.
1 way in which the coalition policies promoted equality and 1 way they undermined it
-They provided free school meals to those who were materially deprived
-They scrapped EMAs (Educational maintenance allowances) in order to reduce and cut government spendings / expenditures
Criticisms of marketisation policy
- May have exacerbated social inequalities, as MC have both cultural and economic capital to access league tables and use it to move to better schools (unlike WC who lack both capitals to do so)
- They may have undervalued the holistic development of the students and instead have focused too much on exam results
