educational policy and inequality Flashcards
what was the education system before the tripartite system?
1880 - compulsory schooling for ages 5-13 type of education depended on class: middle class were given an academic curriculum to prepare them for professional careers working class were equipes with skills needed for factory work and instilled an obedient attitude to superiors
what was the tripartite system?
1944 education act
pupils sat 11+ exam
grammar schools: those who passed 11+, academic curriculum allowed access to non-manual jobs, mainly middle-class
secondary modern schools: those who failed 11+, practical curriculum allowed access to manual jobs, mainly working-class
(technical schools, existed in only a few areas)
what were the effects of the tripartite system?
reproduced class inequality: by channeling social classes into two different types of school that offered unequal opportunities
legitimated class inequality: through the ideology that ability is inborn, so could be measured early on in life 11+
reproduced gender inequality: required girls to gain higher marks than boys in 11+ to obtain a grammar school place
what is the comprehensive school system?
1965
abolished the 11+, all pupils attended the same local comprehensive school
aimed to overcome the class divide of the tripartite system and make education more meritocratic
however some areas didn’t go comprehensive and there are still 164 grammar schools in England
what do functionalists say about the comprehensive system?
promote social integration by bringing children of different classes together in one school, however Ford found little social mixing between classes because of streaming
meritocratic because gives pupils longer time to develop and show their abilities, no 11+
what do marxists say about the comprehensive system?
not meritocratic, they reproduce inequality through streaming and labelling which continue to deny working-class children equal opportunity
‘myth of meritocracy’ legitimates class inequality by making unequal achievement seem fair because it looks like its individuals fault not system
what is marketisation?
the process of introducing market forces of consumer choice and competition into areas run by the state such as education
how has marketisation created an ‘education market’?
reducing state control over education
increasing both competition between schools and parental choice of school
what are policies to promote marketisation?
- publication of league tables that rank each school according to exam performance
- formula funding
- introduction of academies
- introduction of tuition fees
when was marketisation initially introduced into education policy?
1988 education reform act introduced by Thatcher (new right)
introduced league tables, OFSTED, formula funding, open enrolment
what does Bartlett say about reproduction of inequality in schools?
publishing of league tables encourages: cream skimming: good schools can be more selective choosing high achieving mainly middle class pupils silt-shifting: good schools can avoid taking less able student who will get poor results
what is the funding formula?
schools are funded on how many pupils they recruit, so good schools get more money, can improve staffing/facilities and attract more pupils
what do Ball and Whitty say?
marketisation policies such as exam league tables and the funding formula reproduce class inequalities
what do supporters of marketisation claim?
power shifts from producers (schools and teachers) to consumers (parents), this encourages diversity among schools, gives parents more choice and raises standards
what does Gewirtz say about parental choice?
by increasing parental choice, marketisation advantages middle-class parents
privileged-skilled choosers: economic and cultural capital take advantage of the system e.g. pay extra travel costs
disconnected-local choosers: lack capital and have to settle for the nearest school e.g. restricted by distance and cost of travel
semi-skilled choosers: frustrated by their inability to get the school they wanted
what is the myth of parentocracy?
marketisation legitimates inequality by making it look as if all parents are equally free to choose a good school, but Gerwitz shows that middle class parents are better able to take advantage of the choice available
what are policies aimed at reducing inequality?
New Labour:
- education action zones, providing deprived areas with additional resources
- aim higher programme, raise aspiration of groups who are under-represented in higher education
- education maintenance allowance, payments to students from low income backgrounds to encourage them to stay on after 16 to get better qualifications
criticisms of New Labour policies?
policies are contradictory ‘new labour paradox’ e.g. EMAs help poorer pupils stay on post-16, but they now have to pay tuition fees
they maintained marketisation policies, how can competition work without producing inequality, all markets produce losers and winners
what main education policies did the coalition government introduce?
aimed to encourage ‘excellence, competition and innovation’ by freeing schools from the state
academies: schools encouraged to become academies funded by central government rather than local authorities
free schools: state-funded but set up and run by parents, teachers, religious groups or businesses
what do supporters of free schools claim?
improve educational standards by taking control away from the state and giving power to parents
gives parents and teachers the opportunity to create a new school if they are unhappy with the state schools in their area
what are criticisms of free schools?
research from Sweden where 20% of schools are free schools, shows that they only benefit children from highly educated families
in England, free schools take less disadvantaged pupils than nearby schools
what is fragmented centralisation?
Ball argues that we now have a fragmented patchwork instead of the comprehensive system, leading to greater inequality
education is also now more centralised, government can require schools to become academies and allow free schools to be set up, reduced role of local authorities
what policies did the coalition government introduce that aimed at reducing inequality?
free school meals: for all children in reception, year one and year two
the pupil premium: money that schools receive for each pupil from a disadvantaged background
however Ousted found in many cases pupil premium is not spent on those it is supposed to help
why is the boundary between the public and private sector being blurred?
many senior officials in the public sector e.g. head teachers leave to set up or work for private sector education businesses
companies then bid for contracts to provide services to schools and local authorities e.g. two companies set up in this way hold four of the five national contracts for school inspection services
Pollack says it allows companies to buy ‘insider knowledge’ to help win contracts
