Educational policy in the uk: lesson 4

Question 1

In what year did the New Labour Party come into power and who was the leader?

Answer 1

1997, Tony Blair

Question 2

Who took over when Blair retired and in what year?

Answer 2

Gordon Brown 2007- 2010

Question 3

Which party was elected after the New labour?

Answer 3

2010 coalition government, David Cameron

Question 4

Why was the party named the New Labour Party?

Answer 4

To appeal to conservatives and labour voters

Question 5

What were the New Labours aims for education?

Answer 5

• raise standards
• increase diversity and choice
• improve equality of education

Question 6

What types of policies did the New Labour introduce?

Answer 6

• policies to improve standards in education
• policies to reduce inequality of opportunity
• policies to increase diversity

Question 7

Which are the policies improving standards of education?

Answer 7

• reduction in class sizes
• literacy and numeracy hours
• academies
• expansion of higher education

Question 8

What are the policies which reduce inequality of opportunity?

Answer 8

• education action zones
• sure start
• EMA

Question 9

Which policies increase diversity?

Answer 9

• specialist schools
• faith schools
• every child matters

Question 10

What are education action zones?

Answer 10

• Designed to bring schools in deprived areas together to be clusters of schools
• Attract sponsorships from private sectors to boost performance

Question 11

What is sure start?

Answer 11

• one stop shop aimed at children under 5 and their families
• used to raise parenting skills and self esteem, improve child and family health through education, act as a hub for local communities
• children 2-4 have free 12 hours a week

Question 12

What is every child matter?

Answer 12

Focuses on keeping children healthy, safe, achieving, making positive contributions and on their economic well being

Question 13

What are specialist schools?

Answer 13

• Schools focused on a particular area of curriculum
• increases parental choice and increases diversity of choice

Question 14

What are academies?

Answer 14

• failing schools in inner cities combined with others
• not funded by local authorities so decide own term dates and pay for staff
• sponsored by local businesses or charities

Question 15

What are the strengths of these policies?

Answer 15

• greater diversity and choice of schools
• greater variety of subjects to study
• education standard rose
• improved equality of opportunity more than conservatives but attainment gap was still high

Question 16

What are weaknesses of these policies?

Answer 16

• sure start didn’t improve education
• educational action zones seen as a failure ended by 2003
• private schools exist so those with economic capital can afford higher education
• university fees may deter working class people attending