topic 2- educational policies Flashcards
what education act brought about the tripartite system
the 1944 butler education act
what idea was the 1944 education act shaped by
meritocracy- the idea that people should achieve their status and status should not be ascribed
what idea did the 1944 butler education act enrich
the idea that that every child should be given an equal opportunity to develop his/her talents within a free system of state education
what was the tripartite system
when children were were selected and allocated to one of three different schools according to their abilities
what was the tripartite system designed to provide
equal but separate schooling
what were the three schools in the tripartite system emphasised to have
parity of esteem
how were the abilities and aptitudes of children identified
by the 11+ exam
what were the three schools in the tripartite system
1) secondary grammar schools
2) secondary modern schools
3) technical schools
what were secondary grammar schools (3)
- for pupils who passed the 11+ exam
- mainly middle class pupils
- offered an academic curriculum which provided access to non-manual jobs
what curriculum did the secondary grammar schools offer
an academic curriculum
what were secondary modern schools (3)
- offered a non-academic practical curriculum and access to manual jobs
- mainly for working class pupils
- for pupils who failed the 11+
what was bad about the tripartite system (4)
- in reality schools did not have parity of esteem- grammar schools were seen as the best schools
- reproduced class inequality and was socially divisive as middle class students went to grammar schools
- reproduced gender inequality as girls had to achieve a higher mark to go to a grammar school
- the school you go to may limit your career choices
which group of sociologists critique the tripartite system
marxists- as class inequalities are reproduced
when were LEAs instructed to convert to a comprehensive system of schooling
in 1965
what was the comprehensive system designed to do (2)
- overcome the class divide of the tripartite system and make education and society more meritocratic and egalitarian
- it emphasised integration and inclusion
how did the comprehensive system work- what schools did pupils go to
-all pupils within the same catchment are would attend the same mixed ability school
what was a drawback of the comprehensive system (LEAs) - (2)
- it was left to the LEA to decide whether to go comprehensive and not all did
- therefore, some grammar schools still existed and so middle class students went there and working class students went to comprehensive schools
what was good about the comprehensive system (2)
- all pupils were given access to the same schools, resources and curriculum
- everyone was given the same chances to flourish and do well as they followed the same curriculum
what do critics argue about the comprehensive system (3)
- pupils were still segregated as pupils were put into different sets and bands
- different classes may therefore follow a different curriculum according to ability
- some schools were still ranked and seen as supreme
- some grammar schools still existed
what were the first labour policies influenced by
new right
what were the first labour policies that were influenced by new right aimed to do
promote diversity, competition and choice
labour policies (NR) - 2006 policies (name it and describe it)
-the 2006 education and inspections act- gave schools greater freedom to be selective by setting their own admission arrangements
labour policies (NR)- failing schools
- the programme introduced
- key objective
- failing schools, often in low-income areas were closed because they failed to meet targets.
- as part of a ‘fresh start programme (2001), they were re-opened as city academies
- the key objective was to improve educational standards
labour policies (NR)- 2006 additional table based on social factors (4)
- labour accepted that competition between schools would raise standards
- and they retained league tables
- 2006 introduced an additional table based on social factors
- schools in low-income areas with average exam results might score highly because their results are better than expected
labour policies (NR)- 1998 teaching and higher education act
-labour introduced tuition fees for undergraduates and postgraduates
labour policies (reducing inequality)- the new deal 1998
for young people aimed to help the young unemployed gain qualifications to improve their chances of finding work
labour policies (reducing inequality)- the aim higher initiative 2004
-aimed to widen participation in higher education particularly among students from low-income backgrounds
labour policies (reducing inequality)- raising the school leaving age in 2008
-raised to 17 (then 18 in 2015) was designed to reduce to number of neets
labour policies (reducing inequality)- education action zones 1997
-in 1997 some disadvantaged communities were identified and designated Education Action Zones (EAZ) providing additional resources and funding
explain why critics argue that labour’s policy attempts to get more working-class students into uni was contradictory
-because labour introduced uni fees and working-class students will not be able to afford it
what were coalition gov policies influenced by
new right ideas about reducing the role of the state in education through marketisation and privatisation
what were academies encouraged to do from 2010
-to leave LEA control and to become academies
what are academies
-publicly funded, independent schools
3 things that academies could do
- freedom from local authority control
- ability to set own pay and conditions for staff
- freedoms around the delivery of the curriculum
what could academies benefit from
-greater freedoms to invoate and raise standards
how do academies get their funding
- from the Education Funding Agency rather than from local authorities
- the school has power over how the money should be spent
what was bad about academies
-schools didn’t focus on reducing inequality as the budget as used to benefit students
what are free-schools
-all- ability, state funded schools set up in response to what local people say they want and need in order to improve education for children
what are teachers, parents and others able to do through the free schools programme
open schools to address real demand within an area (those people did not need an educational qualification to work there e.g. teachers
what do supports of free schools say (2)
- that it gives parents and teachers the opportunity to create a new school if they are unhappy with the state schools in their area
- they also argue that they improve educational standards by taking control away from the state and giving power to parents
what does Allen argue about free schools (criticises the idea) (2)
- it only benefits children from highly educated families
- free-schools are socially divisive and that they lower standards (they take fewer disadvantaged pupils than nearby schools)
what does Ball argue about promoting academies and free-schools (2)
- it has led to fragmentation which has led to greater inequality of educational opportunity
- it has led to centralisation of control: central gov has increased its power over education and has reduced the role of LEAs
what are the 5 things that the coalition gov introduced
- e-bac
- a-levels
- vocational subjects being stripped off
- academies
- free-schools
what is E-bac
-it is awarded to pupils who achieve GCSEs in english, maths, foreign language and a humanity at grade C or above
what E-bac designed to ensure
that all pupils have the opportunity to study a broad core of subjects ensuring that all doors are not closed in terms of future progression e.g. if they want to go uni
what was the coalition government’s policy on vocational subjects (2)
- in january 2012, vocational subjects were to be stripped from school league tables
- therefore, schools were made to drop valuable, technical, practical, work-related courses or risk getting no credit for the provision
what did Gove change about A-levels
that it must be taken as a linear two year course, with exams at the end of the two year period
what new thing did Gove introduce with A-levels
new league tables giving special credit to students who get AAB in facilitating subjects
what two policies did the coalition gov introduce to reduce inequality
- free school means for all pupils in KS1- you did not have to prove eligibility
- pupil premium- where schools receive funding for each pupil who comes from a disadvantaged background
what is marketisation
the process of introducing market forces of consumer choice and competition into education
what has marketisation created
an education market by reducing direct state control over education and increasing both competition between schools and parentocracy
what gov policy introduced marketisation
the 1988 Education Reform Act introduced by the conservative gov
give examples of the policies introduced by the 1988 ERA (5)
- national curriculum
- testing and attainment targets (SATs)
- league tables and ofsted reports
- parental choice
- funding formula
what was the national curriculum designed to ensure
that schools and pupils concentrate on what they saw as core and foundational subjects- schools had to follow what the gov stated in the NC
what was testing and attainment targets introduced to ensure
that targets were being met and maintained e.g. through SATs
what was league tables and ofsted reports designed to ensure
- schools were ranked according to exam results
- this allowed parents to see what schools wee best or their chilred
what was funding formula
-what did this encourage schools to do
- when schools were given money for each pupil that went to their schools
- this is why schools were encouraged to to recruit pupils up to their maximum capacity
what did Lawton argue about the national curriculum in terms of power
that it undermined the democratic control of education and the independence of teachers by centralising power to the gov
what did Lawton argue about the national curriculum in terms of the NC itself
(how did he describe the NC)
- it was very traditional and unimaginative
- it excluded certain subjects such as politics
what did Johnson argue about the NC
-that it defined certain types of knowledge worthy of study while excluding other subjects
what did Johnson argue about a single curriculum for all pupils
-the use of a single curriculum for all pupils based on a common culture did not encourage equality of opportunity
what did McNEIL argue that the NC reflect
white anglo-saxon culture and it ignored the culture of other ethnic minorities
what do critics argue about SATs (2)
- that it has turned education into a rat race- it is about competition and not learning as children want to get into the best secondary schools
- also that frequent formal testing at such a young age can lead to labelling
what do critics argue about league tables for parents (2)
- that it gives parents a misleading impression of the quality of a school
- league tables conceal under-performing schools that may work hard to improve the educational standards. However, due to a lack of funding they may not be able to become better in terms of results
what do critics argue about league tables for poorer schools
that it is harder for poorer schools to improve as pupils may go to schools with good results and so the poorer schools will receive less funds as they have less pupils
what does Bartlett et al argue that that league tables encourage schools to participate in (2)
- cream-skimming: good schools an be more selective, choosing their own customers and recruiting high achieving, mainly middle class pupils
- silt-shifting: good schools can avoid taking less able students who are likely to get poor results and damage the schools league table position
funding formula- what is happens to popular schools (3)
- they gain more funds as they are able to attract a lot of customers
- they can afford better qualified teachers and better facilities
- their popularity allows them to be more selective and attract more able, mainly working class students
funding formula- what happens to unpopular schools
- they lose income as they are not able to attract a lot of customers
- they find it difficult to match the teacher skills and facilities of more successful rivals/schools
funding formula- what did the international study of patterns in educational inequality find out
that competition-orientated education systems produce more segregation between children of different social backgrounds
what did Ball and Gewirtz argue that schools are now focused on
schools are more focused on attracting the best pupils rather than improving educational standards
parental choice- what did the increased emphasis on testing and competition between schools do
it undermined the principles of comprehensive schooling and represented a move back to the era of the tripartite system
parental choice- what did critics argue that giving power to parents on what schools to choose, led to
it led to increased segregation between working and middle class pupils as middle class parents were in a stronger position to choose schools with a good academic record
what are the 3 types of parents- identified by Ball and Gewirtz
- privileged- skilled choosers
- disconnected- local choosers
- semi-skilled choosers
what are privileged skilled choosers (3)
- professional middle class parents who can exploit the new market place in education more effectively than working class parents
- they can use their economic and cultural capital to ensure that their children go tot he school of their choice
- they can read ofsted reports, look at league tables etc
what are disconnected-local choosers (2)
- working class parents whose choices are restricted by their lack of cultural and economic capital
- they may not be able to manipulate the education system to their advantage
what are semi-skilled choosers (2)
- mainly working class parents, but compared to disconnected-local choosers they are more ambitious for their children
- however, they too lack economic and cultural capital and so find it difficult to understand the education market
what do Ball and Gewirtz argue about parentocracy
that it is a myth; middle class parents possess cultural and economic capital and have more choice than working class parents
