Educational policies

Question 1

1944 Butler Act

Answer 1

Tripartite system, children allocated to schools based on 11+ examination:
Grammar school (academic curriculum, access to non-manual jobs and higher education, mainly middle-class students)
Secondary modern schools (non-academic curriculum, access to manual work for pupils who failed 11+, mainly working-class)
Technical schools (focus on technical subjects closely e.g. engineering and prepare them to work in those trades)

Question 2

Evaluation of 1944 Butler Act

Answer 2

Middle class students did better so reproduces class inequality as offered unequal opportunities
Reproduced gender inequality, girls had to achieve higher on 11+ then the boys
Legitimated inequality and idea ability is inborn and can be measured early on in life (11+ test) but depends on environment in reality
Was a bipartite system mainly as very few technical schools made

Question 3

1965 Comprehensive Act

Answer 3

All students to attend same school in an area, aim to overcome class divide and make education more meritocratic

Question 4

Evaluation of 1965 Comprehensive Act

Answer 4

Was left to local authority to decide whether to go comprehensive so not all did, still exists in some areas
Large schools so lack individual attention
Working class students fall behind in lower sets and streams

Question 5

1988 Education reform Act

Answer 5

National curriculum = all schools had to teach same core curriculum

Question 6

Evaluation of 1988 Education reform Act

Answer 6

Not suitable for all students- still more suitable for academic students, those who prefer more technical or hands on are seen as bad behaved for not being able to focus on academics

Question 7

Compensatory education and other policies to improve inequality, 1965 onwards

Answer 7

Pupil premium - funding for schools for those from poor socio-economic backgrounds
Nursery education grants - 3-4 year old’s given 15 hours funded each week of nursery education to emphasise importance of early learning
Free school meals - funding for students from low income backgrounds to access school meals
Bursary 16 to 19 - payments to students from low-income backgrounds to encourage them to stay in post-16 education

Question 8

Evaluation of compensatory education policies

Answer 8

Schools/students may not have used any additional funds effectively
External factors which affect achievement cannot be overcome

Question 9

Schools admissions code

Answer 9

Forbids discrimination in admitting pupils on grounds of socio-economic backgrounds or ability

Question 10

Evaluation of schools admissions code

Answer 10

Covert selection can still take place, e.g. high uniform costs/complex procedures deter working class students from applying

Question 11

WISE (women in science and engineering) and GIST (girls into science and technology)

Answer 11

Projects to address gender differences in subject choice and encourage more girls to choose sciences at school, initiatives to encourage and celebrate female engagement with these subjects