Educational Reform and Policy Flashcards
1870 - 1918 Education Acts
Before 1870 - only education available to wc was provided by elementary schools run by churches and charities.
1870 Foster Act - made sure children had access to education until the age of 10 and in 1880 this was made compulsorry
1918 Fisher Education Act - the state took responsibility for secondary education and made attendance compulsory until the age of 14.
Evaluation of 1870 - 1918 educational acts
STRENGTHS
- improved equality
- mass literacy
WEAKNESSES
- unequal as most wc still left with no qualifications
- no vocational relevance
Butler Education Act 1944
Act stated every child aged 5-11 should go to primary school. At 11 everyone would take an exam called the 11+. Based on this they would be sent to one of 3 types of schools.
What is the selection by 11+ ( pass mark and school sent to) Tripartite System
ACHIEVED PASS MARK
- Grammar schools (20%) - taught academic subjects - mainly mc children
DID NOT ACHIEVE PASS MARK
- Secondary Modern schools (75%) - taught vocationally based skills - mainly wc children
BODERLINE OR TOOK VOLUNTARY EXAMS LATER
- Technical schools (5%) - train children in mechanical and scientific subjects for practically minded - few pupils and not many schools existed
Evaluation of the Tripartite System
STRENGTHS
- equal opportunity
- meritocracy - equal as all judged on ability
- suits needs of learner
- encourages social mobility that u can improve status if you have the ability to do so
WEAKNESSSES
- IQ testing lacks validity
- Gender bias - pass mark was raised for girls so boys werent overshadowed
- 11 too early, many children develop later
- still unequal and socially divisive
The development of the comprehensive (1965 - 1979)
Comprehensive education abolished selection at age 11 by removing the 11+ exams and 3 types of school. Instead they all became comprehensive schools.
All children from a particular catchment area went to their local comprehensive regardless of social background and ability where they are taught a range of academic and vocational studies.
Evaluation of comprehensive schools
STRENGTHS
- more equality
- more pupils left with qualifications
- fewer social divisions
WEAKNESSES
- still private schools so unequal
- still divisive as wc bottom sets and mc top sets
- wc failed due to catchment area
Who made conservative educational policies and what did they set out to do (1979-19997)
Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister in 1979 and changes were made to education. This approach became known as the New Right
Thatchers government wanted to make education meet the needs of industry and raise standards without spending lots of money.
Conservative educational polices - New Vocationalism (1983 - 1986)
Vocationalism is education that is geared towards a particular job and career. This was in response to a rise in youth unemployment in the 1970s as they lacked skills needed.
Training schemes - YTS was introduced in 1983 and was a one year work based training scheme for school leavers
Vocational qualifications - NVQs set up in 1986 for a range of specific occupations. GNVQs for those who wanted to keep their options more open
Evaluation of New Vocationalism - conservative educational policy
STRENGTHS
- people were given the skills required for certain industries, reducing unemployment
WEAKNESSES
- training schemes don’t reduce unemployment
- training was low quality
Conservative Educational Policies - the 1988 reform act (marketisation)
New right believe best way to improve education without spending money is marketisation which means putting schools in competition with each other to drive standards. Schools were funded by how many pupils they attracted.
Key aspects of marketisation - how schools were put into competition
Formula funding - money allocated per pupil
Parental choice - parent chooses where child attended
League tables - published to inform parent on school performance
SATs and GCSEs introduced
National Curriculum
Ofsted - conducted inspections of all state schools.
EVALUATION - 1988 reform act - conservative educational policies
STRENGTHS
- parentocracy - ruled by parents
- competition improved standards
- national curriculum improved equality
WEAKNESSES
- spiral of decline
- myth of parentocracy
- good schools became selective of who attended
New Labours Educational policy (1997 - 2010)
The majority of educational policy from 1988 remained unchanged. Key ideas were to tackle inequality, increase opportunity, diversity and drive up standards
Examples of educational policies New Labour brought in
Faith schools (1997) - religious schools encouraged
Sure Start Schemes (1998) - give deprived children better start in life
Educational Action Zones (1998) - deproved areas extra money fro education
Literacy and numeracy hours (1998)
Leaving age raised (2007)
City Academies (2000) - failing schools put in special measures could be reponed as academies
Specialist schools (2001) - certain subject
Free nursery places (2004)
Educational Maintenence Award (2004) payment fro staying on in education
University fees (2005) - 3000 per course in debt
