1980s - Conservative Education Policy - New Right influences / marketisation of education

Question 1

Aim 1:
Ensure education meets needs of industry of work
Vocational Courses

Answer 1

Way 1 - vocational courses - which would ensure pupils had necessary skills needed for work - came in response to claims that students left school with no work skills.
Way 2 - Youth Training Schemes - offered schools leavers chance to study for “vocational qualifications” while working at the same time - they could study Business, Leisure and tourism etc.
EVAL - job shortages was the real problem, not the skill shortages - critics argue
EVAL - students received poor training during the vocational qualifications anyway

Question 2

Aim 2:
Marketisation of Education
Chubb and Moe - Copy businesses

Answer 2

they are new right thinkers - By modelling schools on the principles and standards that a successful business uses - an increase in standards will occur in schools - which all students benefit from.
For example copying these characteristics from businesses:
successful business > successful school
employ well-trained staff > employ well-qualified staff
promote themselves well > open evenings to attract pupils
make profit > produce good exam results

Question 3

Chubb and Moe - promoting ‘parentocracy’

Answer 3

they proposed education reforms “dissolve catchment areas” - as this made schools feel secure they would get pupils as there is little choice for parents - therefore schools remain lazy as they know they will remain open.
> dissolving catchment areas would mean parents had greater choice of where to send their child to school - this made schools increase standards in order to obtain pupils - all students will then benefit from better education

Question 4

Marketisation of education introduced these:

Answer 4

League tables:
published to parents so they can see what the GCSE and A-level results were at different schools - which helps them pick what school to send their child
EVAL - league tables can be misleading - evidence to suggest that some of the best schools in Britain do poorly in league tables
OFSTED inspections:
regular inspection of schools to provide parents with detailed insight on how well a school is run - schools will raise standards to get good reports from OFSTED.
Open enrolment:
Catchment areas no longer fix who can and cannot attend a school - providing parents with greater choice on where to send their child - popular schools will expand therefore.

Question 5

Ball and Whitty (1998)
EVAL of marketisation

Answer 5

argue marketisation reproduces class inequality - e.g. through publication of league tables- this ensures the schools with good results are more popular and more selective who then get the best education
> the school that gets the most pupils >therefore the best funds > therefore can spend funds on better facilities and resources for students >better results
> working class will therefore lost out - not fair
> marketisation also “legitimates inequality” by claiming all parents are equal to choose where their children goes - in reality middle class parents have more “economic capital” and “cultural capital”