State policy and education

Question 1

What was the 1944 Education Act?

Answer 1

Introduced the tripartite system

Question 2

What is the tripartite system?

Answer 2

Grammar schools (20%, advanced and traditional education)
Secondary modern schools (80&, basic education)
Technical schools (vocational education, practical subjects)

Question 3

What were the issues with the tripartite system?

Answer 3

1. 11+ was culturally biased
2. few technical schools built
3. labelled as failure if you failed 11+
4. rich parents could send kids to private school if they failed 11+

Question 4

Who introduced comprehensive schools and in what year?

Answer 4

Labour in 1965

Question 5

What were the advantages of the comprehensive system?

Answer 5

1. no 11+, so no labelling
2. high ability still do well
3. low ability do better than in secondary moderns

Question 6

What are the disadvantages of the comprehensive system?

Answer 6

1. use sets and streams so labelling still happens

2. schools in poorer areas do worse than those in rich areas

Question 7

Why did Labour push for vocational education in 1976?

Answer 7

to create a closer link between school and work

Question 8

What 3 policies were introduced to encourage vocational education?

Answer 8

1. youth training schemes (YTS) - training for school leavers
2. NVQs/GNVQs - practical qualifications
3. the New Deal - people on benefits who were unemployed HAD to attend courses

Question 9

What were the issues with vocational education?

Answer 9

1. teaches discipline, not skills
2. Marxists say it provides cheap labour to lower unemployment stats
3. NVQs aren’t as good as degrees
4. feminists say it forces girls into female jobs e.g hairdressing

Question 10

What was the 1988 Education Reform Act?

Answer 10

New Right ideas to:

1. widen choice
2. increase competition (marketisation)

Question 11

What were the 4 key policies introduced by the 1988 education reform act?

Answer 11

1. national curriculum - core subjects for everyone
2. OFSTED to keep up standards
3. parents can see league tables - more choice
4. SATs and GCSEs

Question 12

What are the 3 main criticisms of the 1988 education reform act?

Answer 12

1. Whitty - middle class parents have the knowledge and finances to send kids to a good school so increases inequality
2. more exams leads to stress, labels and SFPs
3. Ball - ‘curriculum of the dead’ as it is outdated

Question 13

What 3 policies did New Labour introduce in 1997-2010?

Answer 13

1. allowed faith schools to be set up (CofE)
2. continued with marketisation/privatisation to increase competition
3. reducing primary school classes to 30 max.
4. introduced numeracy/literacy hours in primary schools
5. tried to encourage uni

Question 14

What policies aimed to promote gender equality in schools?

Answer 14

1. national curriculum made sure girls were doing STEM subjects (girls in STEM etc)
2. grants to primary schools to hold extra writing classes for boys

Question 15

What New Labour policies aimed to reduce class inequalities?

Answer 15

1. sure start - 2 years free childcare
2. EMA - £30pw to stay in school
3. FSM - and breakfast clubs
4. Academies Programme - opening new schools in poor areas funded by sponsors

Question 16

Why does Benn criticise the New Labour ideas?

Answer 16

their policies are meant to reduce inequalities yet are inconsistent e.g they raised tuition fees at uni

Question 17

How has education been affected by globalisation?

Answer 17

1. british economy needs to be competitive in technology industry, so computing was introduced in primary schools
2. increased immigration has increased teaching of other cultures and there’s more support for pupils with english as a second lang
3. educational ideas are shared between nations e.g Finland who has the best education system