Class Inequality

Question 1

Theresa Smith and Michael Noble (1995)

Answer 1

• List a number of ‘barriers to learning’ that can result from low-income.
• Includes insufficient funds to pay for uniform, trips, transport to and from school, classroom materials and even textbooks.
• Leads to children being isolated, bullied and stigmatised which can affect school work.
• Children from low-income families are also more likely to experience ill health - lack of attendance - poorer performance in school - reinforcing inequality.

Question 2

Ofsted

Answer 2

Reports that in general, the higher the level of deprivation in an area, the lower the quality of the schools.

Question 3

Ruth Lupton (2004)

Answer 3

• Studied schools in deprived low-income areas.
• States that teachers had serious pupil welfare issues to worry about as compared to better off areas.
• Pupils were more likely to disrupt lessons and truant from school.

Question 4

Cambridge University

Answer 4

Found that those teaching in poorer areas tended to be inexperienced and less effective.

Question 5

The British Crime Survey 2010-2011

Answer 5

• Found that it was poorer households that were most likely to be burgled.
• The poor and unemployed were twice as likely to be the victims of violent crime.
• They were also far more worried about being the victims of crime.

Question 6

William Chambliss

Answer 6

• Studied the treatment of two high-school gangs, the Saints and the Roughnecks.
• Both engaged in similar deviant behavior, but the Saints - seen as harmless - faced few consequences - the Roughnecks - labeled as troublemakers - treated more harshly by authorities.