Wilson's Domestic Policies (1964-1970)

Question 1

‘White Heat of Technology’ Policy

Answer 1

• Promised to overcome ‘13 wasted years’
• Modernise Britain with science and technology (STEM)
• Promised to solve Britain’s long-term economic problems
• Created the Ministry of Technology to demonstrate his commitment
• Wanted to produce more scientists and keep them in the country so they could be used to help the economy grow through STEM

Question 2

Significance of Education

Answer 2

• Role of opening up opportunities for children from w/c backgrounds and enabling Britain to seize the potential benefits of scientific advances
• More money was allocated to education rather than defence for the first time in British history
• Government awarded teachers with a 13% pay rise
• Expenditure on school buildings was increased together with the number of teachers in training
• Government increased the fraction of children eligible for FMS

Question 3

Comprehensive Education (Circular 10/65)

Answer 3

• Introduced the replacement of the Tripartite System
• Tony Crosland (Labour Minister of Education) requested all LEAs to convert into comprehensive schools
• Those that did got a new school building
• 1970: only 9 LEAs had failed to do so
• Many m/c parents remained unconvinced by comprehensive schools, some turned to direct grant schools

Question 4

The Robbins Report (1963) &
Polytechnics

Answer 4

• Report found that Britain lagged behind France, Germany, and the US in terms of the number of university places
• Labour gov responded by creating Polytechnics
• Polytechnics: new places of higher education which were set up to provide STEM-orientated courses that weren’t fully provided by universities

Question 5

The Expansion of Universities

Answer 5

• 1968: 30 new polytechnics and 56 new universities
• Increased entry of women into university education in significant numbers
• Generally, number of students entering higher education increased from 5% to 10%

Question 6

The Open University

Answer 6

• Gave adults who missed out on higher education a second chance to attend through part-time study and distance learning
• Worked through summer schools, postal tuition and television
• September 1969: Open University HQ was established
• 1971: first students studying under Open University
• Rapid success, high quality degree level learning
• Attracted mature students, women and the disadvantaged
• 1980: 70,000 students, awarding more degrees than Oxbridge combined