Marketisation - The 1988 Education Reform Act

Question 1

The 1988 Education Reform Act = Aim?

Answer 1

increase overall standards
- Schools should be run like businesses – competing with each other for pupils (‘consumers’).
This is known as Marketisation.

Question 2

What was intro with the 1988 Education Reform Act (4)

Answer 2

 Parents were given the right to choose which school they send their children to rather than being limited to the local school in their catchment area.

 SATS tests were used, with GCSE’s and A-levels results to draw up League tables so that parents would be able to judge the quality of schools and make an informed choice.

 OFSTED was introduced to monitor schools

 The National Curriculum was introduced to set up a standard for the teaching of a range of
subjects

Question 3

Strengths of the 1988 Education Act

Answer 3

1. League Tables show that standards since 1988 have improved
2. Made education more responsive to the needs of parents
3. The National Curriculum did mean that the nightmare of progressive education did not reoccur in the 1990s. (No William Tyndale Schools!).
4. It has ensured greater efficiency -competition has forced schools to make better use of their
   resources.

Question 4

Criticisms of the 1988 Education Act (benefits m/c)

Answer 4

The Middle Classes had more effective choice because of their higher incomes because of their higher incomes – this works as follows –

 Selection by mortgage -houses in the catchment areas of the best schools are more expensive, meaning those with money are more likely to get into the best schools

 Transport costs - middle class parents more able to get their children to a wider range of schools because they are more likely to own two cars.

Question 5

Criticisms of the 1988 Education Act

Explain ‘Middle classes had more effective choice because of their greater cultural and social capital’

Answer 5

Stephen Ball - middle class parents as ‘skilled choosers’ use social networks to talk to parents whose children are attending schools on offer

Ball refers to working class parents as disconnected choosers – lacking cultural and social capital they tend to just settle for sending their children to the local school, meaning they have no real
choice

Question 6

Criticisms of the 1988 Education Act

eXPLAIN Schools become more …..

Answer 6

Stephen Ball - selective . Middle class parents want middle class schools and schools want middle class pupils

Schools see middle class students as easy to teach and likely to perform well.
They will maintain the schools position in the league tables and its status in the education market

Question 7

Criticisms of the 1988 Education Act eXPLAIN Polarisation

Answer 7

he best schools get better and the worst get worse

Polarisation of schools occurs because

The best schools become oversubscribed – often with four or more pupils competing for each
place. This means that these schools can ‘CREAM SKIM’ the best pupils – which means they get better results and so are in even more demand the next year. Schools are under pressure to cream skim because this increases their chance of rising up in the league tables.

The schools at the bottom turn into sink schools…they just get worse and worse as no one chooses to
go to them.