Policies Flashcards
The Tripartite System
- The start of the modern education system - education open to all for the first time.
- Foundation of the education system:
- Grammar schools
- Technical schools
- Secondary moderns
Critiques of the tripartite system
- Social Democrats believed it to be divisive.
AH Halsey - abolish 11+ exam and teach all kids the same. - “Parity of esteem” was not established.
- Wastage of talent
- Middle-class dominance
- 20% went to grammars - no extra places for girls.
- Secondary moderns were seen as failure and technicals weren’t funded.
The __________ system was the __________ of the _________ system for the following decades.
The tripartite system was the foundation of the education system for the following decades.
Social __________ believed the tripartite system to be ________.
Social democrats believed the tripartite system to be divisive.
There were __ extra places for _____ at grammars even though they did ______ on the 11+ exam.
There were no extra places for girls at grammars even though they did better on the 11+ exam.
1965 Labour Party Reforms Comprehensivisation
- Comprehensive schools introduced gradually- based on geographical catchment areas.
- Grammar schools converted into comprehensive schools - accepted everyone from local area.
Divides within comprehensives
- Relied heavily on setting + streaming.
- Hargreaves (1967) + Ball (1981) demonstrated that the divide between grammars and secondary moderns were present in comprehensives.
New Right critique of comprehensives
- State schools dominated.
- No competition so no impetus to improve.
- Alternative was private education - only available to the wealthy.
New Vocationalism
- New educational developments - wave of new vocational qualifications introduced in the 1980s (BTECs + NVQs).
- Embraced by the Conservatives in 1979.
Neo Marxist critiques of new vocationalism
- See it as cheap labour - kept pay rates of young workers low.
- Undermined unions - only permanent workers could be members.
- Reduced unemployment statistics.
Criticisms of new vocationalism
Phil Cohen
- Invoked correspondence principle.
- Point was to create good attitudes and acceptance of low pay for manual labour rather than teach skills.
1988 Education Act
- National Curriculum
- GCSEs
- SATS
- School league tables - market and competition between schools
Critiques of 1988 Education Act
- Curriculum is too narrow - based on reflecting “interests”.
- Unfair market - richer families could move closer to the better schools.
- Middle class schools found it easier to achieve high grades - some schools judged unfairly as failing.
Free Market reforms of education since 1997
- Academy systems - schools could take control of their own funds.
- Sure start - confront cultural and material deprivation before school age.
- Curriculum reforms - more “academic rigour” + “knowledge rich” since 2010.
Critiques of new market reforms
- New Labour’s reforms still had massive elements of New Right / free market thinking.
- Academy system makes schools less accountable to local areas and more accountable to business.
- “Knowledge Rich” - What is culturally relevant? More middle class cultural imperialism?