SOCIAL POLICY

Question 1

What was education like pre- 1880?

Answer 1

There were: public schools for upper class, grammar schools for middle class, and elementary schools run by churches and charities for the working class.

Question 2

The 1880 compulsory education act

Answer 2

Provided state run elementary schools for all 5-13 year olds, aiming to teach basic literacy, numeracy and morality.

Question 3

Define meritocracy

Answer 3

Individuals should achieve their status through their own efforts and abilities, rather than it being ascribed.

Question 4

The 1944 education act (tripartite system)

Answer 4

Aimed for meritocracy. The 11+ exam allocated pupils to 1 of 3 secondary schools: grammar (academic curriculum), technical (vocational training) and secondary modern (practical curriculum). Provided separate schooling for a child’s particular talents.

Question 5

How did the tripartite system reproduce class inequality and discriminate against girls?

Answer 5

The system channelled pupils into two different types of schools which were associated with social class. Girls were require to gain a higher mark than boys in the 11+ exam so that the gender distribution was equal grammar schools.

Question 6

How can the 1944 education act be criticised?

Answer 6

It is unreliable to predict someone’s future at age 11.
There wasn’t equality of status as secondary moderns ere seen to be second rate.3/4 of students at secondary moderns were seen to have failed.
2/3 of boys from middle class backgrounds went to grammar schools.

Question 7

Comprehensivisation (1960s)

Answer 7

It was believed that everyone should have an equal chance to succeed (meritocratic), scrapping the 11+.

Question 8

By 1979, what percentage of secondary pupils attended comprehensives?

Answer 8

80%

Question 9

Criticisms of the comprehensive system

Answer 9

Keddie- streaming may lead to a self fulfilling prophecy whereby the achievement in lower streams deteriorates.
Ball- even when streaming isn’t present, teachers may label working class pupils negatively and restrict their opportunities.The ‘myth of meritocracy’.
Grammar and secondary modern schools still appear.

Question 10

New vocationalism (1970s)

Answer 10

A belief that education needs to meet the needs of the economy by providing work related study e.g. NVQs, BTECs, and the YTS scheme.

Question 11

The 1988 education reform act

Answer 11

Introduced by the Conservatives, it introduced: a national curriculum, reduced the role of LEAs by giving greater control to individual schools, established formula funding, parentocracy and business sponsorship of schools e.g. city technology colleges.

Question 12

Which political perspective favour the 1988 education reform act?

Answer 12

The New Right

Question 13

Define marketisation

Answer 13

Introducing consumer choice so that schools act like businesses, competing for customers.

Question 14

What is parentocracy?

Answer 14

Parentocracy is where the power has shifted from the producers of education (teachers/ schools) to consumers (parents). This will encourage diversity, choice, meet the needs of the pupils and raise standards.

Question 15

Why was New Vocationalism needed in the 1970s?

Answer 15

There was a rise in youth unemployment as schools were producing young people who lacked the skills needed by industry.

Question 16

Which party supported New Vocationalism?

Answer 16

Labour, particularly Tony Blair.

Question 17

How can New Vocationalism be criticised?

Answer 17

The 2005 British Social Attitudes Survey found that 54% of employers showed insufficient respect for vocational qualification.
Finn- it provides cheap labour rather than meaningful training.
Cohen- the real purpose of vocational training is social control.
Sex stereotyping is reinforced by course types.
Inequalities persist: mainly working class.

Question 18

What is the Functionalist view of New Vocationalism?

Answer 18

They are supportive of vocational education, suggesting this teaches specialist skills that individuals need in order to perform their role in the division of labour; meeting society’s needs.

Question 19

How do the New Right view education similarly to functionalists and also differently?

Answer 19

Similarly: some people are more naturally talented, education should be meritocratic, and should socialise pupils into shared values e.g. competition.
Differently: the education system isn’t achieving its goals due to it being run by the state and not the local community, so it doesn’t respond to consumer demands.

Question 20

What do the New Right believe the solution is to inefficient education?

Answer 20

Marketisation: schools should compete to attract pupils which will empower the consumers, bringing diversity and choice. However, they do believe that the state should have a role in the national curriculum for shared culture and a competitive framework (Ofsted reports, league tables).

Question 21

Chubb and Moe (The new Right)

Answer 21

Low income families do 5% better in private schools. Private schools do better because they have to answer to the consumer. They propose a system where each family is given a voucher to spend on education of their choice so that schools will have to work to improve standards and attract consumers.

Question 22

Ball (1994) and Whitty (1998)

Answer 22

Marketisation reproduces and legitimises inequality- through league tables and formula funding. Middle class parents can take advantage of choice with their cultural and economic capital.

Question 23

Sink schools

Answer 23

They are seen lower in league tables and with bad Ofsted reports so will attract less pupils and receive less money (formula funding) so that they continue to do worse.

Question 24

Stephan Ball

Answer 24

Parentocracy is a myth because not all parents have choice, as Gerwitz shows that the middle class have more economic and cultural capital so can do things such as move into more desirable catchment areas.

Question 25

Gerwitz

Answer 25

There are three types of parents: privileged skilled choosers (middle class), disconnected-local choosers (working class) and semi skilled choosers (mainly working class but are ambitious for their children and get confused and frustrated by the system).

Question 26

Bartlett

Answer 26

Marketisation leads to popular schools cream skimming (selecting higher level pupils who cost less to teach) and silt shifting (off-loading pupils with learning difficulties who are expensive to teach and get poor results).

Question 27

Gillbourn and Youdell

Answer 27

The A-C economy is a form of educational triage whereby the A students will do well anyway so are ignored, those who will fail anyway so can be ignored and C-D students who will receive help for the school’s position in the league tables. This can produce a self fulfilling prophecy.

Question 28

When did New labour come into power?

Answer 28

1997

Question 29

What was \new Labour’s perspective?

Answer 29

They continued much of the Conservatives policy of diversity and choice (e.g. specialist schools), but also took more of a social democratic perspective by emphasising equality through ‘Sure Start’ and ‘Education Action Zones’.

Question 30

What New Labour policies reduced inequality?

Answer 30

Education Action Zones, the Aim Higher programme, Educational Maintenance Allowances, and proposed raising the school leaving age to 18 to prevent NEETs.

Question 31

How did New Labour promote diversity and choice?

Answer 31

Encouraged schools to apply for specialist school status: by 2007, 85% of secondary schools were specialist. They also promoted academies to save former comprehensives with poor grades and mainly working class pupils.

Question 32

How can New Labour be criticised?

Answer 32

There are contradictions in their policies, such as EMAs encouraging working class students to stay on, yet tuition fees may deter the working class from attending HE.

Question 33

How did Whitty criticise New Labour?

Answer 33

Their anti inequality policies are merely cosmetic.

Question 34

Who was the Education Secretary in the coalition and when?

Answer 34

Michael Gove (2010-2015)

Question 35

What were some coalition policies?

Answer 35

Tuition fees increased to £9,000 per year.
Free school meals to all under 7s.
Reformed curriculum for more rigorous examination e.g. communication and culture has been removed. A level reforms got rid of the AS and A2 structure
Scraopped the EMAs.