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Educational Policy Flashcards

1
Q

Name the 7 parts of the timeline of education

A

1870- Education for all Act
1944- Butler Act
1965- Comprehensives (Labour)
1988- Education Act
1997-2010 - New Labour
2010-15 - Coalition policies
2015 - Conservative policies

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2
Q

What was the 1870 Education for all Act?

A

Created ‘Elementary Schools’ where there was no church school.
Provided some free education to age 10
(School compulsory 5-13 in 1880)

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3
Q

What were the advantages of the Education for all Act?

A

+ Patchwork provision (more unified schooling across the country)
+ Children removed from the workplace

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4
Q

What were the disadvantages of the Education for all Act?

A
  • Still expected to pay and provide equipment
  • Many families income was reduced (child no longer working)
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5
Q

What was the 1944 Butler Act?

+ what type of system is this?

A

Created a formal, state funded education.
Students would sit an 11+ exam and then be sent to one of 3 schools:
- Grammar school (selection by ability)
- Secondary Modern
- Secondary Technical (vocational)

+ tripartite

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6
Q

What were the advantages of the Butler Act?

A

+ Equality of opportunity (anyone can take it and anyone can pass)
+ Meant to be meritocratic (hard work=success)
+ Parity of esteem (hold them all just as worthy)
+ Provides a ‘free private education’ for some
+ Allows poorer students to get better GCSE results
+ Social mobility increased

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7
Q

What were the disadvantages of the Butler Act?

+ 2 statistics

A
  • Impact on self-confidence of working class kids
  • Middle class children more likely to get in (tutors)
  • Difference in age (Aug vs Sep)
  • Intellectual snobbery
  • Limited technical schools and these require lots of funding
  • Lack of differentiation in schools
  • Wasted talent in secondary moderns

3% vs 17% on free school meals (SM vs grammar)
25% grammar students are working class

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8
Q

What was the 1965 move to Comprehensives?

+ what happened in 1974?

A

British government backs the move to ‘comprehensive schools’ by introducing the ‘CSE’

1974- DES Circular
The organisation of secondary education reinstated the request that LEAs should submit plans for comprehensivisation

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9
Q

What were the advantages of the move to comprehensives?

A

+ inequalities of the tripartite system have been removed (e.g GCSEs marked equally for both sexes)

+ offers a diverse curriculum, specialist teachers and free exams

+ GCSE and A-Level pass rates rising
(98% leave with at least 1 qualification)

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10
Q

What were the disadvantages of the move to Comprehensives?

A
  • Schools reflect their catchment areas (less affluent normally get worse results)
  • Setting is just a reinvention of tripartite
  • Smarter children are “dummed down” as teachers are only teaching to the middle level
  • Richer children can go private or get tutors
  • Struggles in the transitional stages (e.g bullying, new curriculum, self- doubt )
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11
Q

What was the 1988 Education Act?

A
  • Parents given more choice over which schools to send their children to
  • open enrolment & formula funding introduced
  • schools encouraged to compete for students
  • league tables & Ofsted
  • introduction of ‘National Curriculum’
  • SATs introduced at all key stages
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12
Q

What were the advantages of the 1988 Education Act?

A

+ parents have more choice
+ results have risen
+ schools have to up their game
+ clear achievement data
+ schools can pay for better teachers
+ Nat curriculum means same things are taught making choice easier
+ oversubscribed can select via criteria

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13
Q

What were the disadvantages of the 1988 Education Act?

A
  • people can’t afford to live in catchment areas for best schools
  • creativity of teachers is stifled
  • polarisation of schools occurs
  • self- fulfilling prophecy created
  • zombie schools can appear
  • reproduces inequality
  • good schools can be more selective
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14
Q

What is the marketisation of education?

A

The idea endorsed by the New Right that schools should act like businesses and compete for students through Ofsted & league tables.

The choice for parents drives up the standards especially due to formula funding.

+ ‘New Vocationalism’ = preparing young people for work

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15
Q

What are sociological views on marketisation?

A

+ ‘parentocracy’ (parents have power) - David
+ reproduces inequality - Ball & Whitey
+ encourages cream skimming and silt sifting - Bartlett

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16
Q

What is Gerwitz’s opinion on marketisation?

A

Parents can be split into 3 groups due to different economic & cultural capital levels which causes inequalities:

  • Privileged skilled choosers:
    + well-educated
    + aware of how system works
    + can move house or pay for transport
  • Disconnected local choosers
    + less confident & less aware of choices
    + distance & travel costs restrict them
  • Semi skilled choosers
    + ambitious but unable to make sense of education market
    + frustration of being unable to get kids into chosen school
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17
Q

What were the New Labour policies in 1997-2010?

A
  • Extended provision of specialist & faith schools
  • Introduced trust schools and PFIs
  • Introduced ‘City Academies’ to replace failing schools
  • A-Level split into AS & A2
    -Tuition fees introduced to help fund higher education
  • Compulsory education extended from 16-18
  • Aim Higher programme & Sure Start
  • Education Action Zones
  • Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMAs)
  • National Literacy & Numeracy Strategy introduced
18
Q

What are the second half of New Labour policies called?

+ what does this mean?

A

Compensatory Education Policies (CEPs)

+ government policies which are designed to raise the achievement levels of students who come from materially and culturally deprived backgrounds

19
Q

What were Education Action Zones?

What was the Aim Higher programme?

What are EMA payments?

A

Partnerships of schools, community groups & businesses which aim to provide extra money for schools in deprived areas

Initiatives aimed at widening participation in higher education particularly among students from non-traditional backgrounds, minority groups & disabled people

Educational Maintenance Allowance. £30 a week for financially disadvantaged students aged 16-19 to aid them in continuing their studies

20
Q

Why was the school leaving age raised from 16 to 18?

What were Sure Start centres?

A

In order to generate more skilled labour as students have more time to gain skills & qualifications

Network of children’s centres used to support local families with children under 5. Provided 12 hours a week of free nursery provision for children aged 2-4 as well as advice on matters such as health ,money & parenting

21
Q

How do trust schools work?

+ what advantages & disadvantages do they bring?

A

A group of schools who share resources and teaching staff

+ distance between the schools means they are not each others’ immediate rival/competition
+ economies of scale (buying a large number= cheaper overall)

  • can create animosity and a loss of identity
22
Q

What are Private Finance Initiatives?

+ how much have PFIs delivered so far?

A

Long-term contract between a private party and a government entity where the private sector designs, builds, finances & operates a public assets & related services.

(private party bears the risks and responsibility)

+ £56 billion of investment in over 700 UK infrastructure projects

23
Q

What were the advantages of the New Labour policies 1997-2010?

A

+ attempt to give more specialist choice
+ gives religious parents more choice as faith schools still follow the National Curriculum
+ trust schools allow for shared resources
+ PFIs allow for the rebuilding of schools
+ failing schools have a chance to rebrand and have more control
+greater choice & diversity in schools & subjects
+ Created a ‘Learning Society’ = learning is more highly valued

24
Q

What were some advantages of the New Labour 1997-2010 CEPs?

A

+ gave people a better chance in the global job market
+ rose aspirations for working class children
+ overcoming material & cultural deprivation
+ improved results achieved in SATs & GCSEs

25
What were the disadvantages of the New Labour policies 1997-2010?
- specialist schools were only really relevant in cities and most weren't that good (85% of schools were specialist) - schools can be stuck in PFIs - 'New Labour Paradox' = tuition fees & Aim Higher contradict - City Academies allow those with money to shape the curriculum - schools have become too test focused - private schools mean those with money can get their children a better education - did not improve equality of educational opportunity
26
What were some disadvantages of the New Labour 1997-2010 CEPs?
- not suited to some children (removes choice) - Sure Start centres didn't have access for those who needed it (lack of time & money and embarrassment) - EMA payments given directly to the child so may be spent on other things than education - EAZs failed to attract sponsorship & money given was limited - EMA payments had harsh attendance & academic targets that had to be met
27
What were the Coalition Policies 2010-15?
- Academies Act 2010 - Free schools established (CEP policies) - Tuition fees tripled - Free school meals for reception, yr1 & yr2 - Pupil Premium introduced
28
How do Academies work? + how do Free schools work? (e.g?)
When schools leave authority control. Control of funding and curriculum is led by themselves. + Set up & run by parents, faith orgs or businesses. Funding is controlled by the state (e.g Bristol Free School)
29
What is Pupil Premium? + who is it given to?
Additional funding for students from disadvantaged backgrounds + people who have been on FSM for the last 6 years children of service workers disadvantaged children
30
Advantages of the Coalition Policies 2010-15
+ helping to overcome material deprivation + PP spent directly on students who need its educations + schools have criteria they must meet in order to become an academy + targets Just About Managing families
31
Disadvantages of the Coalition Policies 2010-15
- more open to corruption - 'Trojan horse' schools come about - businesses may alter curriculum to suit their needs - Free schools may 'silt-sift' & 'cream-skim' - still dependent on people applying for FSM (stigma/lacking cultural capital are issues) - some services children don't need Pupil Premium - FSM aren't always enough - PP money may be used elsewhere
32
What were the 2015 Conservative Policies?
- no new places in schools rated 'inadequate' or 'requires improvement' - lift ban on selective schools - knowledge-rich curriculum (e.g Ebacc, every 11yr old knowing times tables off by heart, progress rate measures) - Fairer funding - universities w max fees must sponsor Free schools or academies & independents must sponsor academies or state schools - increase overall budget by £4 bill by 2022 - teach British values & mental health teacher training - T-Levels introduced - Free school breakfast for all (scrap infant FSM) - no school has a budget cut (new funding formula) - specialist maths school in every major city in England
33
Advantages of the 2015 Conservative Policies?
+ fairer way of measuring progress + reduced offers to unis for some state/ academy educated students + aimed to reduce hate crime & radicalism + trying to target possibly indoctrinated childrens + T-Levels provide a more vocational route for some
34
Disadvantages of the 2015 Coalition Policies?
- private schools not equipped to give advice - intro of grammar schools rejected by public - some schools narrow curriculum - zombie schools continue - ' good schools' benefit middle class only - schools did lose budget (average 8%) - can lead to marginalisation - Ebacc can push out arts - mental health training not provided
35
What is privatisation? + how much does the government spend on education? What are exogenous and endogenous privatisation?
Services which were once owned and provided by the state are transferred to private companies + (£90 billion) Exo (from outside influences) Endo (internal)
36
Examples of endogenous privatisation in education
All policies of marketisation: - running schools like businesses - introducing performance pay for teachers - league tables & OFSTED
37
Examples of exogenous privatisation in education
- building and maintaining schools through PFIs (e.g G4S) - Running examination systems through exam boards (e.g Pearson) - Setting up academies and academy trusts - Creation of brand loyalty through school reward schemes (e.g Cadbury's) - Expansion of the Education services industry (e.g Teams, ClassCharts etc) - The Cola-isation of education (vending machines)
38
Why do we allow privatisation of education? Criticisms of privatisation
+ keeps costs down + more efficient in parts + companies make a profit - may try to change and narrow the curriculum (more emphasis on maths & economics) - smoke screen to legitimise profiting from education (Marxist) - might increase inequality as businesses 'cherry-pick' best schools to invest money leaving 'orphan schools' behind - can cause a digital divide
39
How has Globalisation affected schools?
+ increased diversity + prepares students for working in a global economy + increased use of technology in the classroom + increased tolerance and empathy + more support for those who speak a second language + PISA rankings
40
How has Globalisation affected educational policy?
- Prevent Strategy (stop support for terrorism) - Free Schools - Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (close achievement gap & covers cost for those w additional support needs) - 'British Values' - Education Act (only British authors for Eng Lang) - model history curriculum by 2024 (multicultural)
41
Positives about the Globalisation of education
+ Free schools allowed in UK (now over 600) + Global competition drives up standards (PISA rankings) + allows access to worldwide ideas + learning about diff cultures increases tolerance + encourages students to stay in higher education + better transnational collaboration + British values create a community
42
Negatives about the Globalisation of education
- creates a digital divide - may make other culture's values seem inferior - students are competing against an international market - uni fees means class inequality - marketisation benefits middle class - who is setting up free schools? - UK curriculum is ethnocentric

Sociology (Education) (5 decks)

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