The 1940s - 1960s

Question 1

1944 Education act (tripartite system)

Answer 1

following end of WWII - government determined to create an education system to rebuild Britain - every child was to benefit from free education
> At years old - every child sits a “11+ intelligence test” - would identify which school they end up in:
Grammar schools - highest scorers in 11+ test
Technical schools - those that are gifted in practical work
Secondary-modern schools - for everybody else
Government keen to add each school provides equal help in every way
EVAL - reproduced social class-inequality - most middle class went to grammar schools which offered academic education and access to non-manual jobs - middle class parents used their “cultural capital” to ensure their child got high marks.

Question 2

1960s
Comprehensive education policy

Answer 2

introduce to reduce inequality by:
> abolishing the “11+ intelligence test”
> replace grammar and secondary modern schools with comprehensive schools (all inclusive schools) - that all pupils in a catchment area would attend.

> schools continue to use ‘setting’ and ‘streaming’ to cater for pupil’s different abilities - however, pupils from different social backgrounds could mix together
EVAL - social class inequalities still remained - negative teacher labelling influence which set or stream certain pupil’s would go into - working class more likely to be bottom set.