EDUCATIONAL POLICY AND INEQUALITY - BEFORE 1998 Flashcards
What is the tripartite system?
1944 Education Act - children were to be selected and allocated to one of three different types of secondary school:
- Grammar
- Secondary Modern
- Technical
What is the comphrensive school system?
Aimed to overcome class divide of tripartite system and make education more meritocractic. However, it was left to local authority whether schools should be comprehensive, many chose not to meaning the grammar-secondary modern divide still exists in many areas.
What is a parentocracy?
System in which a child’s education must conform to the wealth and wishes of parents rather than the abilities and efforts of the pupil.
What is the reproduction of inequality?
Ball and Whitty - marketisation policies such as exam league tables and funding formula reproduce class inequalities by creating inequalities between schools
What are League tables and cream-skimming?
Publishing schools exam results that achieve good would be attractive to parents. Schools can be more selective, choose their own customers and recruit high achieving, mainly middle class pupils and as a result these pupils are given an advantage
What is the funding formula?
Schools are allocated funds by a formula based on how many pupils they attract. As a result, popular schools get more funding and can afford better qualified teachers, etc. Their popularity further allows them to be more selective and attract more middle class, able or ambitious applicants
What does Gewirtz say about parental choice?
Not all parents had equal choice of schools. The amount of choice was limited by the availability of schools in the local area and the capacity of parents to make informed choices. They identified two types of parents based on their ability to choose: Privileged or skilled choosers.
What is the myth of parentocracy?
The Myth of Parentocracy, proposed by Gerwitz, refers to the belief that parents have democratic control over their children’s education and the ability to make choices on their behalf, it is a criticism of marketisation of education
What policies did New labour bring in?
- Aim higher programmes
- Education Maintenance Allowances
- Increase funding for state education
- Education Action Zones
- Introduction of National Literacy Strategy
- City academies created
