3) educational policies - 2010 conservative coalition

Question 1

(CC) English Baccalaureate

Answer 1

aimed to tackle supposed rise in vocational and soft subjects used to boost schools league table postions, was the EB
Measure how well pupils do in range of core subjects
Previously schools only measured by what proportion passed 5 GCSEs (inc English and Maths)
Gove believed many poor children led into making bad decisions for them that would boost school league tables (eg 4 BTECs instead of GCSEs)
Believed English Bacc would restore high standards of qualification

Question 2

(CC) English Baccalaureate Evaluation

Answer 2

Head Teacher’s groups, while supporting say it may reverse gains in keeping the interest of less academic pupils
Estelle Morris, former education secretary said reason Labour stopped languages after 14, too many kids were truanting
Not including RE in English Bacc disadvantages faith schools which specialise in it

Question 3

(CC) Academies

Answer 3

Academies Act 2010 made it possible for all publicly funded schools in England to become academies, still publicly funded but with greater autonomy in things like teachers waged and diverging from the National Curriculum
Gove allowed all to be academies
ACADEMY STATUS TO ALL NOT JUST FAILING SCHOOLS
Many of the best schools applied to become an academy, fast tracked by government

Question 4

(CC) Academies Evaluation

Answer 4

Academies are more like businesses operate with own interests and rarely have to answer to gov
only checked by state when OFSTED inspect - could be 5 or 6 years apart
cutting out local authority cuts out state influence which could have negative effect.

Question 5

(CC) Increased Tuition Fees

Answer 5

Wider cuts in public spending, uni fees increasing, unis in England were allowed to charge up to £9,000 per year raising cap from £3,290
Government will lend students the money for fees which will lend students the money for fees paid back once they graduate and earn more than £21k

Question 6

(CC) Increased Tuition Fees Evaluation

Answer 6

Though the education secretary claimed the increase in fees won’t put off students from poorer backgrounds. Ipsos Mori poll found students with no parents in work only 35% would pay £7000 in fees for uni

Question 7

(CC) Free Schools

Answer 7

Set up and run by parents, teachers, organisations or businesses, but funded directly by the state
non-profit making, independent, state funded school which is free to attend but not wholly controlled by a local authority
greater control over operations, can rewrite national curriculm
improve education standards taking power from states to parents
e.g Micheala in London run by Katherine Burbalsingh, super strict or meditation one in Manchester

Question 8

(CC) Free Schools Evaluation

Answer 8

Allen - research from Sweden where 20% are free schools shows they only benefit kids from highly educated backgrounds
Free schools are socially divisive and lower standards. Sweden’s international education rankings have fallen since introduction

Question 9

(CC) Coalition Inequality Policies

Answer 9

Whilst most policies introduced in Conservative- Lib Dem coalition have increased inequalities, they have also introduced policies to reduce it
Free school meals for all children in reception, year 1 and 2
Pupil Premium - money schools receive from each student from disadvantaged backgrounds

Question 10

(CC) Coalition Inequality Policies Evaluation

Answer 10

Ofsted found Pupil Premium spent on other stuff
Free School Meals - planned scrap in 2017, M Rashford for during holidays
After Year 2 those who are eligible may not choose to accept FSMs for fear of stigmatisation