Policies

Question 1

The Tripartite System

Answer 1

• The start of the modern education system - education open to all for the first time.
• Foundation of the education system:
  
  • Grammar schools
  • Technical schools
  • Secondary moderns

Question 2

Critiques of the tripartite system

Answer 2

• Social Democrats believed it to be divisive.
  AH Halsey - abolish 11+ exam and teach all kids the same.
• “Parity of esteem” was not established.
  
  • Wastage of talent
  • Middle-class dominance
  • 20% went to grammars - no extra places for girls.
  • Secondary moderns were seen as failure and technicals weren’t funded.

Question 3

The __________ system was the __________ of the _________ system for the following decades.

Answer 3

The tripartite system was the foundation of the education system for the following decades.

Question 4

Social __________ believed the tripartite system to be ________.

Answer 4

Social democrats believed the tripartite system to be divisive.

Question 5

There were __ extra places for _____ at grammars even though they did ______ on the 11+ exam.

Answer 5

There were no extra places for girls at grammars even though they did better on the 11+ exam.

Question 6

1965 Labour Party Reforms Comprehensivisation

Answer 6

• Comprehensive schools introduced gradually- based on geographical catchment areas.
• Grammar schools converted into comprehensive schools - accepted everyone from local area.

Question 7

Divides within comprehensives

Answer 7

• Relied heavily on setting + streaming.
• Hargreaves (1967) + Ball (1981) demonstrated that the divide between grammars and secondary moderns were present in comprehensives.

Question 8

New Right critique of comprehensives

Answer 8

• State schools dominated.
• No competition so no impetus to improve.
• Alternative was private education - only available to the wealthy.

Question 9

New Vocationalism

Answer 9

• New educational developments - wave of new vocational qualifications introduced in the 1980s (BTECs + NVQs).
• Embraced by the Conservatives in 1979.

Question 10

Neo Marxist critiques of new vocationalism

Answer 10

• See it as cheap labour - kept pay rates of young workers low.
• Undermined unions - only permanent workers could be members.
• Reduced unemployment statistics.

Question 11

Criticisms of new vocationalism

Phil Cohen

Answer 11

• Invoked correspondence principle.

- Point was to create good attitudes and acceptance of low pay for manual labour rather than teach skills.

Question 12

1988 Education Act

Answer 12

• National Curriculum
• GCSEs
• SATS
• School league tables - market and competition between schools

Question 13

Critiques of 1988 Education Act

Answer 13

• Curriculum is too narrow - based on reflecting “interests”.
• Unfair market - richer families could move closer to the better schools.
• Middle class schools found it easier to achieve high grades - some schools judged unfairly as failing.

Question 14

Free Market reforms of education since 1997

Answer 14

• Academy systems - schools could take control of their own funds.
• Sure start - confront cultural and material deprivation before school age.
• Curriculum reforms - more “academic rigour” + “knowledge rich” since 2010.

Question 15

Critiques of new market reforms

Answer 15

• New Labour’s reforms still had massive elements of New Right / free market thinking.
• Academy system makes schools less accountable to local areas and more accountable to business.
• “Knowledge Rich” - What is culturally relevant? More middle class cultural imperialism?

Question 16

Main Education Debates of Today

Answer 16

• Problems of an ethnocentric curriculum.
• More explicit awareness of the hidden curriculum.
• Challenges in decolonising the curriculum.