privatisation policies academies and special schools Flashcards
what ideology privatisation policies influenced by
Privatisation policies influenced by new right thinking continued under the new labour and coalition government with the introduction of specialist schools and academies. Furthermore, in 2001 the introduction of academies allowed for greater business involvement in the running of schools than ever before.
why did this accelerate the marketisation of education
This in turn accelerated the marketisation of education. Businesses were attracted to funding available and it gave parents more choice in where to send children and Sponsors would also have a say in how the school was run. One of the effects of this change had been the commodification of education in that it’s a commodity to be bought and sold for profit.
what do neoliberals believe
Indeed neoliberals argue that removing the state from the running of schools opens up opportunities for schools to develop better teaching and learning.
what schools were created in 2002
This was further enhanced through the creation of specialist schools in 2002. This is where schools were encouraged to specialise in a specific subject and could select 10% of students that showed an aptitude for the specific subject.
impact of specialist schools
The impact of this was an increased parental choice and allowed schools to excel at their specialisms, raising education standards for children attending these schools. The influence of neoliberal thinking on the new labour government has meant that competition was seen as the key to improving education standards.
limitation of marketisation policies in reducing inequality
However, in practice, the middle class were able to gain the most from these policies as they ensured that they attended the best schools and continued to do well. Therefore the growth of academies created more opportunities for privatising education and thus had limited success in reducing inequality in education.
