Education

Question 1

What landmark education act was passed in 1944 in England and Wales?

Answer 1

The Butler Act

The Butler Act aimed to provide free secondary education for all children up to age 16.

Question 2

What percentage of children left school at age 14 in 1938?

Answer 2

80%

this school was often an all-age primary school

This statistic highlights the limited educational opportunities available before the reforms initiated by the Butler Act.

Question 3

What was the university admission rate in 1938?

Answer 3

1 in 100

This indicates the low access to higher education prior to the changes brought by the Butler Act.

Question 4

What major social issue did the war raise awareness of in Great Britain?

Answer 4

Class divisions

This awareness contributed to the push for free secondary education.

Question 5

What was the tripartite system recommended by the Butler Act?

Answer 5

A system consisting of:
* Grammar Schools
* Secondary Technical Schools
* Secondary Modern Schools

The tripartite system categorized students based on academic ability and interests.

Question 6

What type of school is designed for academic pupils likely to go to university?

Answer 6

Grammar Schools

These schools were aimed at students capable of critical thinking and a love for learning.

Question 7

What type of school was intended for those with interests in applied science or art?

Answer 7

Secondary Technical Schools

These schools prepared students for technical professions or crafts.

Question 8

What type of school was for pupils who dealt more easily with facts than ideas?

Answer 8

Secondary Modern Schools

These schools were intended for students with limited mental horizons and slower progress.

Question 9

What exam determined entry into Grammar Schools?

Answer 9

The 11+ exam

This exam was intended to assess student suitability for different types of secondary education.

Question 10

What was the actual outcome regarding the establishment of Secondary Technical Schools?

Answer 10

Very few were set up; 80% of children ended up in Secondary Modern Schools

This indicates a significant deviation from the original intentions of the education system.

Question 11

What was one reason the British public did not develop a strong affection for universal state education?

Answer 11

Class-based divisions built into the 1944 Education Act

These divisions led to a perception of inequality in educational opportunities.

Question 12

What was the primary goal of the 1988 Education Act?

Answer 12

To reduce state intervention in education

This act aimed to introduce market forces into the school system by privatising nationalised industries, selling off council houses

Question 13

What option did the 1988 Education Act offer schools?

Answer 13

Opting out of Local Education Authority control

Schools could receive funding directly from the central government.

Question 14

What is the term for schools that opted out of Local Education Authority control?

Answer 14

Grant-maintained schools

These schools were funded directly by the government

This was a political move, as LEAs tended to be more left-wing than the government

Question 15

What did the government call for in education after the 1988 Education Act?

Answer 15

• Value for money
• performance management
• customer satisfaction

These aims reflected a shift towards a market-oriented approach in education.

Question 16

What major educational reforms were introduced by Margaret Thatcher in 1988? (5)

Answer 16

• A National Curriculum
• parental choice
• formula funding
• league tables
• city technology colleges

This reform standardized education content across schools.

Question 17

What was ‘open enrolment’ (parental choice) as introduced in the 1988 Education Act?

Answer 17

Parents could choose any school for their children, not just the nearest one

This policy aimed to increase parental choice in education.

Question 18

What funding model was introduced in the 1988 Education Act that linked student numbers to funding?

Answer 18

Formula funding

Schools received more money based on the number of pupils they attracted.

Question 19

What educational initiative was planned to be introduced alongside the 1988 Education Act?

Answer 19

City Technology Colleges

These were partially funded by private sponsors and aimed to provide technical education.

Question 20

True or False: After 1988, education became less politicized.

Answer 20

False

Education discussions became more political, shifting from educators to parliament.

Question 21

What kinds of schools are there in England and Wales?

Answer 21

There are over 24,000 state schools and over 2,000 independent schools.

Question 22

What are state schools?

Answer 22

State schools are free and available to all, including nursery schools, state-funded primary schools, state-funded secondary schools, special schools, and pupil referral units.

Question 23

What are independent schools?

Answer 23

Independent schools require payment of fees; some are known as private schools, while exclusive ones like Eton and Harrow are called public schools.

Question 24

What are comprehensive schools?

Answer 24

Comprehensive schools take in pupils with a range of abilities and may use streaming or ability grouping for different subjects.

Question 25

What percentage of state secondary schools are foundation schools?

Answer 25

Around 15% of state secondary schools are foundation schools, which are run by governing bodies.

Question 26

What are faith schools?

Answer 26

Faith schools are schools with a religious affiliation; 68% are Church of England and 30% are Catholic.

Question 27

How many grammar schools are left?

Answer 27

There are only 163 grammar schools left in England.

Question 28

What are academies?

Answer 28

Academies are independent, state-funded schools that receive funding directly from the central government.

Question 29

How many academies are there in Great Britain?

Answer 29

currently 80% of secondary schools are academies and 40% of primary schools are academies

Question 30

What was the original purpose of academies?

Answer 30

Academies were originally aimed at improving failing schools, primarily in deprived areas.

Question 31

What are the two types of academies?

Answer 31

The two types are converter academies (performing well) and sponsored academies (mostly underperforming). ## Footnote Converter Academies are likely to get a good/outstanding ofsted rating, sponsored academies are likely to be rated inadequate or in need of improvement

Question 32

What are the pros of academies?

Answer 32

- more power for head teachers - freedom to innovate and opt out of national curriculum - claims of faster improvement compared to other state schools.

Question 33

What are the cons of academies?

Answer 33

- improving schools that are already doing well often only converting because of financial benefits - undemocratic process (teachers, parents and pupils dont have a say) - gives education minister more power - academies results may not be reliable bc they include vocational equivalents of GCSEs and encourage students to take soft subjects like media study - worse working conditions for the staff - have a tendency to ease out difficult students (normal schools excluse 1.7 out of 1000 and academies 3.1 our of 1000 thats 82% more)

Question 34

What are the similarities between an Academy and a Free School?

Answer 34

- Both are publicly funded but independently run schools - Both operate outside local authority control - Both have flexibility over curriculum, staff pay, and school terms.

Question 35

What are the differences between an Academy and a Free School?

Answer 35

Free schools are a subset of academies, created as new schools rather than conversions of existing ones. Free schools were promoted as having grassroots origins, initiated by parents, teachers, charities, or community groups. Academies often began as conversions of struggling state schools.

Question 36

What is the origin of public schools?

Answer 36

Public schools were originally charity schools, which were 'public' in that they were not just for the children of noblemen.

Question 37

What is the significance of public schools in the class system?

Answer 37

Public schools help to perpetuate the class system, as only wealthy parents can afford to send their children there, leading to a first-rate education.

Question 38

How do public school students fare in university admissions?

Answer 38

Private school students are 55 times more likely to win a place at Oxbridge than students at state schools who qualify for free school meals.

Question 39

What is the Old Boys’ Network?

Answer 39

The Old Boys’ Network refers to the nepotism associated with ex-pupils of public schools. ## Footnote Of the 58 Prime Ministers to date. In turn, 31 former prime ministers studied at Oxford and 14 at Cambridge.

Question 40

What is a notable exception among British Prime Ministers regarding public school education?

Answer 40

John Major is an exception; he came from a humble background and attended a grammar school.

Question 41

What reforms are suggested for public schools?

Answer 41

- more scholarships for disadvantaged students - paying full business rates (£105 m a year) - charging VAT on school fees (£ 1.5 bn a year)

Question 42

Why are catchment areas important in state education?

Answer 42

Living within a catchment area entitles parents to send their children to that school, often leading to increased property prices.

Question 43

What exams do British pupils take at 16?

Answer 43

All pupils must take GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education) in a range of subjects (at least 6, typically 8)

Question 44

What are the main features of the new GCSEs?

Answer 44

- A new grading scale of 9 to 1 - assessment mainly by exam - new demanding content - courses designed for two years - exams can be split into foundation tier and higher tier - resit opportunities will only be available each November in English Language and maths

Question 45

What structural change occurred in A-Levels between 2015-2018?

Answer 45

- no longer modular, meaning if you fail one subject, you must re-sit all A-Level exams - more weight given to final exams - students take AS-Levels at end of their first year which is now only worth 40% of their final grade (used to be 50%) - some subejcts were axxed in 2017

Question 46

What is the new value of AS Levels in relation to A-Level marks?

Answer 46

AS Levels are now a separate qualification and count for 40% of the final A-Level mark, down from 50%.

Question 47

Which A-Level subjects were removed in 2017?

Answer 47

Subjects axed included archaeology, anthropology, creative writing, critical thinking, general studies, and home economics.

Question 48

What are league tables in education?

Answer 48

League tables rank schools since 1992 based on the number of GCSE pupils achieving 5 or more A-C grades (or 9-4 grades under the new marking).

Question 49

What is PROGRESS 8?

Answer 49

PROGRESS 8 measures student progress from Keystage 2 to Keystage 4 across 8 subjects, with Maths and English counting double. ## Footnote they are 11 at keystage 2 and 16 at keystage 4

Question 50

How do league tables drive school standards?

Answer 50

They create competition among schools, driving up standards.

Question 51

What is a potential benefit of PROGRESS 8?

Answer 51

- It may motivate 'coasting schools' to improve by focusing on value-added scores - teachers at challenging schools are given credit for the progress they made

Question 52

What is a criticism of league tables?

Answer 52

- They may encourage teachers to spoon-feed pupils rather than promote understanding - teachers have an incentive to concentrate on students likely to get either a C or D (4/3 in the new system) and neglect the others - students might be encouraged to take soft subjects - schools that appear low down are unlikely to slavage their reputation for some time - teachers under pressure leave out parts of the curriculum to concentrate on spoon-feeding - demoralising teachers, students and parents if their school is near the bottom - failing schools are often in areas of low socio-economic means (they need investment and not humiliation to improve)

Question 53

What do critics say about Ofsted inspections?

Answer 53

Critics argue that inspections cause panic and do not support schools adequately.

Question 54

Name 3 pro-ofsted argumets

Answer 54

- Schools should not be allowed to prepare for inspections, otherwise inspectors will be less likely to see what a particular school is like every day - Accountability is important, not just for pupils’ performance, but also for their safety and well-being - It’s not the inspection framework itself that is problematic; the main complaints have been about a) the variability in the quality of the inspection teams and the reliability of their judgements, b) a failure to appreciate the challenges that teachers face in schools located in deprived areas.

Question 55

What is a common complaint about the inspection process?

Answer 55

Inspectors often provide a snapshot view, which may not accurately reflect a school's performance.

Question 56

What issue arises from the timing of Ofsted notifications?

Answer 56

Teachers are informed at short notice, leading to panic.

Question 57

Name 12 anti-ofsted arguments

Answer 57

1. Teachers are informed at very short notice, which leads to panic 2. Rather than simply picking holes in the way a school is operating, Ofsted should also support schools and celebrate their achievements. Of course, they should point out areas for improvement, but they should also give schools time to address these issues. At present, it is not a collaborative process. 3. Inspectors may be working in the interests of the government of the day. For example, when Michael Gove was Education Minister in 2014, there was a sense that inspectors were helping to create more “free schools” and academies. Similarly, many of those schools that had already gained academy status seemed to escape inspection 4. Inspectors only get a snapshot (one day). The impression they take away is likely to depend on all kinds of variables (beyond a school’s control), such as the time of year, the weather, the proximity of holidays or exams 5. Their reports rely heavily on data (such as previous exam results). These don’t necessarily reflect how pupils have improved. 6. There can be a long gap between inspections (sometimes up to 6-10 years!) Schools want to win back their reputation as quickly as possible. Ofsted usually refuses requests to be re-inspected 7. A school receives a one-word judgement, which does not necessarily give an accurate picture of how a school is doing. Ruth Perry’s school was actually awarded a “good” mark for “quality of education”, “behaviour and attitudes”, “personal development” and “early years provision”. It was only for “leadership and management” that school was deemed “inadequate” 8. Inspectors do not necessarily have any experience of teaching in the type of school they are evaluating. 9. Some inspectors lack compassion and understanding: a. towards pupils. There have been reports of inspectors making no allowances for young pupils’ nervousness and special needs when asking the latter questions b. towards teachers. One inspector told a head teacher that he would walk out of the room if she mentioned Covid in relation to the quality of teaching at her school 10. Some inspectors have rigid ideas about the “right” teaching style. One was angry about pupils not walking down the corridors in silence 11. Some teachers claim that inspectors seem to have written off a school before they even start their inspection 12. The complaints system is allegedly “done by Ofsted, for Ofsted”.

Question 58

What is a concern regarding the experience of inspectors?

Answer 58

Inspectors may lack experience in the type of school they are evaluating.

Question 59

What did Ruth Perry's case highlight about Ofsted?

Answer 59

Her school was downgraded despite receiving good marks in several areas, raising concerns about the inspection process.