Educational Policy📝

Question 1

What are Grammar schools?

Answer 1

Schools intended for pupils defined as bright and academic; studying classics, maths and science

Question 2

What were Secondary Modern Schools?

Answer 2

Schools for children who were seen as less academic and more practical; given basic education with little opportunity

Question 3

What were Technical Schools?

Answer 3

Schools for pupils with a natural ability for technical subjects; emphasising vocational training and technical skills

Question 4

The tripartite system - 1944 Butler Act

Answer 4

Made school compulsory from the age of 5-15

Schools included: Grammar, Secondary Modern and Technical schools

Question 5

History of education in England+Wales

Answer 5

• A small minority received a formal education (-1870)
• Public+Grammar schools= rich and powerful
• Church+Charity schools provided basic education

Question 6

Comprehensive school

Answer 6

1965 - present

• aimed to overcome the class divide of the tripartite system; left up to the local educational authorities
• becoming more meritocratic

Question 7

Ford (1969)

Answer 7

found little social mixing between w/c and m/c

- due to streaming

Question 8

Marxists view of Comprehensive schools

Answer 8

Reproduces class inequality
 - allowing the continuation of streaming and labelling

Question 9

‘Myth of meritocracy’

Answer 9

not selecting children it legitimises class inequality by making unequal achievement seem fair and just 
- looking like the fault of the individual rather than the sytem

Question 10

Marketisation

Answer 10

Refers to the process of introducing choice and competition in education
- reducing direct control from government
- increasing competition between schools
= increasing parental choice

Question 11

Parentocracy

Answer 11

giving parents more choice through:

• publication of Ofsted reports
• league tables
• open enrolment
• funding formula
• academies

Question 12

David - parentocracy

Answer 12

Power shifts from the producers to the consumers

Question 13

Ball+Whitty - Reproduction of inequality

Answer 13

League tables and the funding formula create inequalities among schools

Question 14

Cream skimming

Answer 14

‘good’ schools can be selective about who attends their schools

• high achieving
• mainly m/c pupils

Question 15

Silt shifting

Answer 15

‘good’ schools can avoid taking less able students

Question 16

Funding formula

Answer 16

Funds allocated to schools based on how many students they attract
- popular schools will get more funds

Question 17

Public Policy Research - segregation

Answer 17

Britain’s education system produces more segregation between children from different social backgrounds

Question 18

Privileged skilled choosers

Answer 18

M/c parents using their economic+cultural capital in order to get their child in the best school

Question 19

Economic capital

Answer 19

moving the child around the education system

• moving nearer to preferred school
• paying extra travel costs for the child to go to school

Question 20

Cultural capital

Answer 20

knowing how the system works
- putting a particular school as first choice
= having time to research and visit schools

Question 21

Disconnected local choosers

Answer 21

W/c parents have restricted choice due to their lack of economic + cultural capital

• less aware of their choices open to them
• less able to manipulate the system
• limit themselves to near by schools

Question 22

Semi skilled choosers

Answer 22

W/c parents who are less ambitious for their children

Question 23

‘Myth of parentocracy’

Answer 23

Making the education system seem like it is based on parents having a free choice of school
- not all parents have the freedom to choose what school their child goes to

Question 24

New Labour + inequality

Answer 24

• Education action zones = deprived areas
• EMA’s
• City academies
• Increasing funding for state education