Educational policies

Question 1

Educational Policy in Britain before 1998 Key Sociologists

Answer 1

• Marxist (View of Comprehensives)
• Functionalists (View of Comprehensives)

Question 2

Breifly explain Educational policy in Britain before 1988

Answer 2

Late 18th century - no state schools, education available to minority.
Industrialisation increases need for educated workforce & from late 19th century state began to become more involved with education.
Mc pupils given academic curriculum to prepare them for career in professions for office work.
Wc given schooling to equip them with basic numeracy & literacy skills meets for routine factory work- & instil them obedient attitude to superiors.

Question 3

Which Act brought in the Tripartite System

Answer 3

1944 Education Act

Question 4

From 1944 what did Education begin to become influenced by?

Answer 4

Idea of Meritocracy

Question 5

Outline tripartite system

Answer 5

from 1944 education began to be influenced by idea of meritocrCY -individuals hsould achieve status in life through own efforts
1944 education act brought in triparttite system
children were selected & allocated to 1 of 3 schools according to abilties & aptitudes schemes
identified by 11 + exams

Question 6

How did Allocation of Kids to School work in the Tripartite System?

Answer 6

Pupils did 11+ exam and were allocated to 1 of 3 types of secondary based on their abilities.

Question 7

3 Types of School in Tripartite System

Answer 7

> Grammar Schools
Secondary Modern Schools
Technical Schools

Question 8

Define Grammar Schools & what % attended?

Triparttite system

Answer 8

> offered Academic curriculum, access to professional jobs & Higher Education (Uni), for children with academic ability, passed the 11+ exam-mainly MC
20% attended

Question 9

Define Secondary Modern Schools & what % attended?

Tripartite system

Answer 9

Offered non-academic curriculum & access to manual work for students who failed 11+ mainly WC
>80% attended

Question 10

Define Technical Schools & what % attended?

Tripartite system

Answer 10

> Vocational education, existed in few areas
5% attended

Question 11

How did Tripartite System reproduce Class Inequality

Answer 11

Rather than promoting Meritocracy
tripartite system & 11+ reproduced class inequality by channeling WC & MC into two different types of schools, offering unequal opportunities.

Question 12

How did Tripartite System reproduce Gender Inequality

Answer 12

The system reproduced gender inequality by requiring girls to gain higher marks
marks than boys in 11+ to go grammar schools.

Question 13

How did Tripartite System Legitimated Inequality

Legitimise-justify

Answer 13

> Tripartite legitimised inequality through the ideology that 11 +
Fair as everyone takes same exam, so have equal chance
- But in reality pupils’ environment affects chances of success.

Question 14

When was the Comprehensive School System

Answer 14

Introduced in 1965

Question 15

What did Comprehensive School System aim to do?

Answer 15

Aimed to make education meritocratic, fixing inequality in tripartite system.

Question 16

What was abolished as a result of the intro of Comprehensive School System?

Answer 16

> 11+ abolished, all pupils attending local comprehensives

> Not all areas went comprehensive, so they’re still grammar schools in UK.

Question 17

Functionalists View of Comprehensives

Answer 17

> Functionalisats see role of education-Fulfils essential functions, e.g. social solidarity & meritocratic role allocation-selecting pupils to their future work roles

> see comprehensives as meritocratic as they give pupils longer to develop & show abilities.

> argue comprehensives Promote social integration bringing all social classes, together in 1 school.

Question 18

Ford Criticisms of Functionalist View on Comprehensives

Answer 18

Due to streaming, little mixing of social classes in school.

Question 19

Marxists View of Comprehensives

Answer 19

> education Serves interests of capitalism, reproducing & legitimating class inequality.

> argue comprehensives Reproduce class inequality from 1 generation to next through continuation of streaming and labelling. denying WC equal opportunity

> Legitimates class inequality, through myth of meritocracy, making it seem everyone has equal opportunity & failure is due to individual & not system.

Question 20

Define Marketisation

Neoliberals & new right favour marketisation

Answer 20

Process of introducing market forces of consumer choice & competition between suppliers into areas run by state
e.g. education, creating an education market.

Question 21

How Marketisation has created an Education Market?

Answer 21

> Reduced direct state control over education

> Increased both competition between schools & parental choice of school

Question 22

What is the significance of the 1988 Education Reform Act?

Answer 22

Marketisation became central theme of Gov Education Policy, introduced by conservative government
new labour governements emphasised standards of diversity & choice in education
The tory & democratic coalition GOv-took marketisation further by creating academies & free schools

Question 23

Marketisation Key Sociologists

Answer 23

> New Right (View of Marketisation)
David (View on Parentocracy)
Ball and Whitty (Reproduction of Inequality)
(Cream Skimming and Silt Shifting)
Gewirtz (Parental Choice)
Ball (Myth of Parentocracy)

Question 24

Explain the New Right view on Marketisation

Answer 24

> New Right favour marketisation

> Marketisation means schools compete with each other have to attract customers (parents)

> Schools providing parents with what they want-success in exams
will get extra funding, whereas those who don’t will go out of business.

Question 25

Outline Policies Promoting Marketisation

Answer 25

* league tables, * open enrolment, * formula funding, * Parentocracy

Question 26

Criticisms of the Intro of the Comprehensive School System

Answer 26

Comprehensives are large schools so lack individual attention.

Question 27

David view on Parentocracy

Answer 27

> In education market, power shifts away teachers & school to parents encouraging diversity among schools. > Giving parents more choice, raising standards

Question 28

Parentocracy | Policy to promote marketisation

Answer 28

Policies to promote marketisation include: - publication of league tables & ofsted reports rank each school according to its exam performance & gives parents the info they need to choose right school David - describes marketised education as parentocracy = rules by parents. In Education market - power shifts away from producers (teachers & schools) to consumers (parents). Encourages diversity among schools, gives parents more choice & raises standards.

Question 29

A03 of marketisation policies- Ball & Whitty

Answer 29

marketisation policies such as exam league tables & funding formula reproduce class inequalities by creating inequalities between schools.

Question 30

Silk shiftng & cream skimming | Barlett

Answer 30

The policy of Publishing schools exam results in league tables ensures schools that achieve good results are more in demand as parents are attracted to those with good league table rankings. * cream skimming: good schools can be more selective, choose own customers & recruit high achieving mainly mc pupils = gain advantage. * silt shifting: good schools can avoid taking less able pupils who get poor results & damage schools league table position.

Question 31

The funding formula

Answer 31

Schools allocated funds by formula based on how many pupils they attract = popular schools get more funds & can afford better qualified teachers & better facilities. Popularity allows them to be more selective & attracts more able/ambitious mc kids. Unpopular schools lose income & difficult to match teacher skills & facilities of more successful rivals = failure & funding is reduced.

Question 32

Gerwitz: Parental choice

Answer 32

By increasing parental choice, marketisation advatages MC parents whose economic & cultural capital puts them in better positions to choose good schools for children Gerwitz study -14 London secondary schools =Gerwitz found that differences in parents economic & cultural capital lead to class differences in how far they can exercise choice of secondary school. Identified 3 types of parents: * privileged skilled choosers * disconnected local choosers * semi skilled choosers - privileged skilled choosers = mc parents used economic & cultural capital to gain educational capital for children. Were well educated, able to take full adv of choices. Parents had cultural capital - know how school admissions systems work. - disconnected local choosers = wc parents, choices = restricted by lack of economic & cultural capital. Found it difficult to understand school admissions, less confident in dealings & had less adv. Distance & cost of travel = restrictions on choice of school. - semi skilled choosers = wc parents but ambitious for kids. Lack cultural capital & difficult making sense of education market & rely on others opinions. Gewirtz = mc parents possess cultural & economic capital & have more choice than wc.

Question 33

What 3 Types of Parents does Gerwitz outline?

Answer 33

> Privileged Skills Choosers Disconnected Local Choosers Semi-Skilled Choosers

Question 34

What are 2 Marketisation Policies reproducing Inequality?

Answer 34

* Formula funding * League Tables

Question 35

Define disconnected local choosers

Answer 35

WC parents -restricted by lack of economic and cultural capital > Find it difficult to understand school admissions & less able to manipulate system. Distance & cost of travel =major restrictions on choice of school.

Question 36

Define Privileged Skilled Choosers

Answer 36

mc parents used economic & cultural capital to gain educational capital for children. Were , confident & well educated, able to take full advantage of choices. Parents had cultural capital - know how school admissions systems work. > Economic Capital enables Selection by Mortgage: Afford houses in catchment areas of popular schools.

Question 37

Define Semi-Skilled Choosers

Answer 37

> Despite being WC, they were ambitious for kids. > But found it hard to understand system, relied on other people’s opinions. > Frustrated at inability to get children into schools they wanted.

Question 38

What are Negative Consequences of Competition in Education?

Answer 38

> Schools try to maintain position in league tables by concentrating resources on those pupils who are most likely to achieve e.g. MC >Link to Gilbourn and Youdell A-C Economy >So increases divisions between pupils.

Question 39

Explain Ball’s Idea of the Myth of Parentocracy

Answer 39

> Ball believes Marketisation gives appearance of parentocracy >education makes it seem as if parents have free choice of school Ball argues parentocracy is a myth,not reality > Conceals class inequalities between parents

Question 40

New labour & inequality 1997

Answer 40

New labour governements introduced policies aim to reduce inequality such as: * Designating deprived areas as action zones & providing them with additional resources * Aim higher programme-raised aspirations of groups who are underrepresented in higher education * Education maintanance allowance(EMAs) payments to students from low income backgrounds to encourage to stay in school after 16 to gain better qualifications

Question 41

Coalition government policies 2010

Answer 41

Move away from education based on comprehensive schools run by local academies = their policies -influenced by neoliberal & new right ideas - reducing role of state in provision of education through marketisation & privatisation. Cameron stated that aim of coalition educational policy: Encourage excellence, competition & innovation by freeing schools from state through polcies such as academies & free schools

Question 42

Academies

Answer 42

2010 - all schools encourages to leave local authority control & become academies. Funding taken from local authority budges & given to academies by government & academies given control over curriculum. 2012 - over 1/2 secondary schools converted to academies. The coalition government reducing inequality by allowing schools to become an academy

Question 43

Free schools

Answer 43

Schools set up & run by parents, teachers, faith organisations or businesses rather than local authority. Improve educational standards by taking control away from state & giving power to parents. It gives them opportunity to create new schools if unhappy with state schools in local area.

Question 44

Fragmented centralisation

Answer 44

Ball argues promoting academies & free schools-led to both increased fragmentation & increased Centralisation of control over educational provision * Fragmentation-comprehensive system is being replaced by diverse provisions