New Labour Reforms

Question 1

Labour party changes to educational policy from 1997

Answer 1

• Introduction of academies
• Tuition fees for University
• Development of SureSart centers
• Educational maintenance allowance
• Education action zones

Question 2

Academies

Answer 2

• State funded schools funded by government rather than local authorities.
• Schools can set their own admission policies and don’t have to follow national curriculum.
• Most english secondary schools are now academies and a large number of primary schools are now too.
• Today the government is trying to make all schools academies.

Question 3

Tuition fees for university

Answer 3

• As it was initially only £1000 for every course at every institution, it was more of a way to raise revenue for the sector

Question 4

SureStart centres

Answer 4

• A form of compensatory education
• Recognised achievement gap led to centers that could provide health and parenting advice as well as providing childcare and early years education.
• Compensated for material and cultural deprivation.
• Still around today but many were closed during ‘austerity’ cuts following 2007 financial crisis

Question 5

Educational maintenance allowance

Answer 5

• School and college students aged 16-19 could be paid up to £30 a week for attending.
• Attempted to compensate for those in material deprivation.
• Allowed students to pay for books or travel giving equal access to education.

Question 6

Education action zones

Answer 6

• Introduced in 1998
• Schools aimed to attract investment from private sector.
• Targeted areas with high levels of deprivation.
• Combined new right marketisation ideas with an egalitarian agenda

Question 7

Criticism of education action zone

Answer 7

• Had limited success and not many attracted sponsorships or showed improvements.
• Was not continued after its initial 5-year term.

Question 8

Criticisms of educational maintenance allowance

Answer 8

• Students didn’t necessarily spend money appropriately.
• Scrapped by the conservative coalition in 2010 and replaced with a pot of money held by schools that they could spend at their discretion.

Question 9

How can New labour reforms be criticised as inconsistent?

Answer 9

• Government first removed ‘grant maintained schools’ but then essentially reintroduced them with academies.
• They set a target of 50% of school leavers attending university and then introduced a tuition fee.