Topic 2

Question 1

A*-C economy

Answer 1

A system in which schools concentrate their efforts on those pupils they see as most likely to gain 5 A*-C grades at GCSE and boost the schools league table position

Question 2

Differentiation

Answer 2

Distinguishing or creating differences between individuals or groups. Streaming is a form of this distinguishes pupils based on ability

Question 3

Educational triage

Answer 3

Process whereby schools sort pupils into ‘hopeless cases’ ‘those who will pass anyways’ and ‘those with the potential to pass’ and concentrate on them to boost the schools league table position

Question 4

Ideal pupil

Answer 4

Image held by teachers of the kind of pupil they’d prefer to teach: bright hardworking cooperative. Teachers more likely to see white middle class pupils as closest to ideal

Question 5

Labelling

Answer 5

The process of attaching a definition of meaning to an individual or group

Question 6

Marketisation

Answer 6

Policy of introducing market forces of supply and demand info areas run by the state such as education. Encourages schools to sell themselves in order to compete for more parental interest. 1988 education reform act began marketisation encouraging competition

Question 7

Polarisation

Answer 7

Process that results on creation of two opposite extremes e.g. Pupils response to labelling and streaming e.g. Pro school or anti school subculture

Question 8

Self fulfilling prophecy

Answer 8

Where a prediction made About a person or group comes true simply because it had been made. Once a label has been assigned to an individual they internalise this label making them become that label

Question 9

Streaming

Answer 9

Where children are separated into different ability groups of classes and then each ability group is taught separately from the others for all subjects