Policies Flashcards
1944 Butler Act
Every child the right to free education up to 15
Introduction of Tripartite system
11+ exam
Tripartite System
3 types of school:
Grammar
Technical
Secondary Modern
1988 Education Reform Act
Schools marketised - create competition
League tables
OFSTED
National Curriculum
League Tables
- parentocracy - chance to see how well schools perform
competition between schools - drive up standards - Mass Testing - higher grades = higher on league tables
OFSTED
Ensures teachers are doing their job focus on standards of school Inspection Framework: - Quality of education - Behaviour - Personal Development - Management & Leadership
National Curriculum
Sets out subjets studied by all schools Core subjects: Maths English Science
1965 Circular Act - Labour Policies
ABOLISH Tripartite system
NO 11+
Introduce Comprehensive schools
LEA’s to reorganise secondary schools
Comprehensive Schools
Created to combat inequalities of Tripartite system
- Equal opportunities - Meritocracy
Social class & Equality - 1944 Butler Act
Strengths
FREE All children from lower-class backgrounds given equal opportunity
Social class & Equality - 1944 Butler Act
Weaknesses
Postcode Lottery - middle class students live in affluent areas - better schools Grammar schools created class divisions streaming - wc in low streams
Social class & Equality - 1944 Butler Act
Theories
Bernstein - elaborated codes (students cannot achieve higher marks) Smith & Noble - Barriers to learning: Affordability Technology Postcode Lottery Supporting the family
Gender & Equality - 1944 Butler Act
Strengths
Equal opportunity
Gender & Equality - 1944 Butler Act
Weaknesses
Girls not offered places in Grammar schools despite outperforming
(M. Cohen)
“Boys mature later” - feminism
Ethnicity & Equality - 1944 Butler Act
Strengths
Equal Opportunity
no cultural deprivation
Chinese place higher value on education & parents are more involved - Archer and Francis
Ethnicity & Equality - 1944 Butler Act
Weaknesses
Postcode Lottery - ethnic minorities live in poorer areas
Material Deprivation - Smith & Noble Barriers to learning
Bernstein - elaborated codes
Social class & Equality - 1988 Education Reform Act
Strengths
League tables & marketisation = healthy competition between pupils
Parentocracy
Social class & Equality - 1988 Education Reform Act
Weaknesses
Funding - schools higher on league tables + parents choosing - leaves working class with worse schools + teaching
‘Cream skimming’ - choosing higher ability students who cost less to teach
- working class have different experiences in education
- material deprivation
- cultural deprivation - struggle in certain subjects
Gender & Equality - 1988 Education Reform Act
Strengths
same opportunities as boys - learn same subjects instead of typical “women roles” - Feminists
Sue Sharpe - ‘Just like a girl’ - change in attitudes
- Girls more likely to achieve A*-C in every GCSE subject except maths
Gender & Equality - 1988 Education Reform Act
Weaknesses
feminists - patriachy rules education
Colley - subject choice - women go into lower payed jobs
Ethnicity & Equality - 1988 Education Reform Act
Strengths
Cultural capital - some ethnic minorities have low payed jobs but have the cultural capital to help children with school work
Indian minorities - see education system as a blessing
Ethnicity & Equality - 1988 Education Reform Act
Weaknesses
O’Donnel - African Caribbean boys percieve the education system as “white dominated”
- National curriculum is Ethnocentric
Madood - Multiculturalism ‘saris and sammosas’ - National curriculum not representative of culture
Black history is ignored - valued paced on British History
1997 New Labour
2 sides?
New Right
Social Democratic
New Right policies
Specialist schools - offer specific subjects
Vocational courses
Privatisation
Social Democratic Policies
Academies introduced to help failing schools
EMA - £30 a week to stay in school
Sure Start - free nursery for poorer children
Critisisms of Reform
Extrinsic - focus on grades and not well-being of students Working class students apply for schools later and are left with limited choice promotes choice of location but restricted by travel costs
1976 New vocationalism
Introduction of vocational education by conservatives
- skill shortage
1970 Education policy
compulsory education up to 10
not free
Coalition Gov 2010-
academies pushed forward for failing schools
free schools ( set up by religious teachers or parents) - greater control over curriculum
made A levels harder + students to study more subjects at school
Coalition Gov & Social class equality weaknesses
No more EMA’s - helped poorer students
decrease value of vocational subjects
tuition fee rise for higher education
pupil premium money spent on other things instead of support for low income students
1975 Race relations act
ethnic minorities not discriminated against
