Topic 6 - Education Policy And Inequality Flashcards
What is meritocracy?
Everyone has equal opportunity to succeed based upon their skills and abilities
What is parentocracy?
Gives parents more choice and power where their children go to school
What act brought in the tripartite system?
1944 education act
What was the 11+
A test to determine what school you would go to
What schools could you go to after the 11+
Secondary modern
Grammar schools
Technical schools
What were comprehensive schools? When were they established?
A school where all pupils would attend, instead of being based upon a test.
1965
What do functionalists think of the comprehensive education system?
It brings children of different social classes together, promotes social integration and it’s more meritocratic
What do Marxists think about the comprehensive education system?
They argue it’s not meritocratic and reproduces class inequality
Two ways marketisation has created an education market?
- reduces direct state control over education
- increasing competition between schools and parental choice
Under which government did marketisation become a central theme of education policy? When was this?
Margaret Thatcher, conservative
1988
Which government introduced academies? Which government increased them?
Tony Blair, labour
David Cameron/Nick clegg, conservative/lib-dem
Which group prefer marketisation policies?
New-right and neo-liberals
Policies that promote marketisation/parentocracy?
- league tables
- business sponsorship of schools
- specialist schools
- tuition fees
- free schools
What is one criticism of marketisation?
It reproduces inequality
What is cream skimming?
Good schools are allowed to be more selective with their students, usually middle class
What is Silt-shifting?
Good schools can avoid taking worse pupils
What is the funding formula?
Schools get funding based upon how many pupils they attract
Who found that differences in parents economic and cultural capital led to class differences in their choice of secondary school
Gewirtz
Who believes that parentocracy is a myth? Why?
Ball Because parents appear to all have same freedom to choose, but middle class have an advantage
What New Labour policies helped reduce inequality?
- education actions zones
- aim higher programmes
- education maintenance allowance
- increased funding for state education
- city academies
Who talks about the New Labour paradox? What is an example?
Melissa Benn
Them introducing EMA to get kids to continue further education but introducing uni fees
What are academies?
Schools which are funded directly from the state and are given control over their curriculum
What are free schools?
Schools set up and run by parents, teachers, faith organisations or businesses. They still revive state funding
What is a criticism of free schools?
They take fewer disadvantaged pupils and prefer middle class pupils
Who said that free schools only benefit children from highly educated families?
Rebecca Allen
What are some coalition policies that reduced inequality?
- free school meals for children in reception to year 2
- pupil premium, where schools receive extra funding for taking disadvantaged pupils
What did ofsted find about pupil premiums?
Only 1/10 head teachers said it significantly supported the pupils it was going towards
What is ‘cola-isation’?
Where companies put their products (such as vending machine) in school to create brand loyalty
What is a criticism of cola-isation of schools?
The benefits to schools are very limited
Beder found it cost £110,000 spent at Tesco in return for a single computer
What did the Marxist Stuart Hall say about conservative government policies?
‘Long March of the neo-liberal revolution’
How do Marxists view privatisation?
They view the neoliberal claim that privatisation drives up standards as a myth which tries to legitimise profiting off education
