Educational Policy Flashcards
(56 cards)
1
Q
summarise the main 2 aims of educational policies
A
main 2 aims of educational policies
- to improve equality: some policies are made to try and make things more equal
- marketisation: to create competition in order to improve standards and give parents more choice
2
Q
outline the timeline of the British Government
A
- Conservative 1988-1997
- Labour 1997-2010
- Coalition 2010-2015
- Conservative 2015-2024
3
Q
give context of education before the 1870 education act
A
- only a small minority received formal education
- public + grammar schools educated children of the wealthy and powerful
4
Q
outline the tripartite system under the 1944 Butler Act
A
there were 3 types of schools:
- grammar schools: intended for smartest pupils
- secondary modern schools: attended by most who were less academic / more practical. basic education
- technical schools: emphasised vocational training + technical skills
5
Q
outline the comprehensive system + who introduced them
A
- introduced by Labour Gov in 1965, prioritised equal access to education
- one secondary school type for everyone to break down social class barriers
6
Q
what are advantages of the comprehensive system
A
- no entrance exams or selection; more fair, no children labelled as ‘failures’
- are cheaper to run, schools facilitate more pupils, there are more subjects offered
7
Q
what are disadvantages of the comprehensive system
A
- comprehensive system limits parental choice; each student goes to their nearest school, regardless of reputation
- streams in comprehensive schools recreates social divisions as the streams reflect the social class differences
- comprehensives aren’t actually socially diverse as they’re based off of local neighbourhood
8
Q
outline the Functionalist view of comprehensives
A
- positive view of comprehensives
- they promote social integration by bringing kids of diff social classes together
- they are more meritocratic as it gives students a longer period to develop + show their abilities
9
Q
outline the Marxist view of comprehensives
A
- critical view of comprehensives
- they aren’t meritocratic - they reproduce class inequalities generationally through labelling + streaming
- they legitimise class inequalities by making inequal achievement seem fair because failure is the fault of individuals
10
Q
define marketisation in schools
A
- marketisation = the process of introducing market forces of consumer choice to encourage competition + raise standards in schools
11
Q
which theory supports marketisation + why
A
- New Right
- marketization helps to raise standards + gives consumers (parents) more choice
12
Q
outline David’s concept of parentocracy
A
- David; Parentocracy:
- ‘rule by parents’
- parents are consumer, schools are producers
- as consumers, parents can give funding to schools by sending their child there due to the Funding Formula
- this raises school competition and standards due to league tables, OFSTED, fee schools, specialist schools
13
Q
what is an AO3 evaluation of David’s concept of parentocracy
A
- schools are the one who actually decide who gets in - not parents
14
Q
outline league tables + cream skimming
A
- league tables include: attainment 8 score, progress 8 score (added in 2016)
- grades produced by schools are the most important aspect to consumers
- grammar/ high achieving schools have the ability to cream skim (choose the best pupils)
- working class, special education BAME pupils are less likely to be chosen
15
Q
outline the funding formula
A
- funding formula = funding per student enrolled at the school
- leads to sink schools - poorer, lower achieving schools that have less students + money and lower results
16
Q
describe Gerwitz’s concept of parental choice/ the myth of parentocracy
A
- there is a myth of parentocracy (the idea that parents hold the power in choosing their child’s school)
- only some parents benefit from marketisation
- there are 3 types of parents: privileged skilled choosers, semi-skilled choosers, and disconnected local choosers
17
Q
describe Gerwitz’s privileged skilled choosers
A
privileged skilled choosers:
- middle class
- they have the economic capital (money) to access catchment areas, tutors/ resources to achieve higher, appeals for school places, pay for school transport
- they also have the cultural capital; m/c values, skills to appeal for places, skillset/knowledge of the schools admission system, enrichment, understands the process
- they use these assets to gain educational capital for their kids
18
Q
describe Gerwitz’s disconnected local choosers
A
disconnected local choosers
- working class parents
- their chocies are restricted de to their lack of economic + cultural capital
- they lack the economic capital, cultural capital and social capital that the privileged skilled choosers have
19
Q
describe Gerwitz’s semi-skilled choosers
A
semi-skilled choosers
- mainly working class
- unlike the disconnected local choosers, they are ambitious for their children
- but they also lacked the cultural and economic capital to fully access educational capital
20
Q
outline Conservative educational policy motives 1988-1997
A
- under Margaret Thatcher + heavily influenced by New Right thinking
- new vocationalism = serving the needs of the industry was prioritised over equality of opportunity
- state run institutions were inefficient as they didn’t have a profit motive
- introduction of market forces creates marketisation/ competition and thus raises standards - ‘branding, advertising and selling’ - running schools like a business
21
Q
outline testing and examining under the Conservatives 1988-1997
A
- in hopes of increasing competition, there was an increased use of testing, examination and publication of exam results
- Ball: in some aspects, the promotion of standardised testing goes against New Right thinking as they are generally ‘against imposing uniformity on schools’ and ‘value diversity’
22
Q
outline the 1988 Education Reform Act (5)
A
- established a national curriculum + a national system of testing and assessments
- league tables
- OFSTED
- funding formula
- MATs
- the aim of this reform was to increase diversity, choice + competition/ to raise standards
23
Q
what was the aim + impact of the National Curriculum
A
- aim: to inc diversity, choice, competition + to raise standards as people are tested on the same thing - easily comparable
- impact: gender parity; removal of gendered subject bias
24
Q
what was the aim + impact of League Tables
A
- aim: to provide info for parents, to help them make an informed choice, to inc parentocracy
- impact: top league tables attract m/c families (privileged skilled choosers), increased competition, cream skimming
25
what was the aim + impact of the Funding Formula
- aim: to inc competition in schools, to force a profit motive, to get as many students as possible
- impact: better quality education + better results, schools in deprived areas lead to sink schools
26
what was the priorities of the Labour Educational Policy 1997-2010
- top 3 priorities: 'education, education, education'
- some policies demonstrate the principle of equal opportunities, whereas some seem to be based on New Right thinking of marketisation
27
outline the stance of the Labour Gov 1997-2010 on comprehensives
- Tony Blair: rejects 'one size fits all' idea of comprehensive education - schools should reflect the diversity of young people
- comprehensives should be 'modernised'; thus, the introduction of specialist schools to raise standards
28
outline the Labour Gov's 1997-2010 stance on equality policies
- they intended 'to overcome economic and social disadvantage and to make equality of opportunity a reality
- they wanted to motivate young people in deprived inner city areas
29
what were the new educational policies introduced in the Labour Gov 1997-2010 (7)
- academies (failing schools taken over by Gov/ private funding)
- beacon schools ('centres of excellence')
- EMA/Education maintenance Allowance (paid those 16-18 to remain in full time education)
- EAZs/Education Action Zones (maximised educational opportunities in deprived areas)
- vocational qualifications
- raised school leaving age to 18
- National Literacy Strategies (aimed to raise literacy standards in primary schools)
30
what is OFSTED
- OFSTED = the regulatory body that inspects schools and gives them a rank - the highest being Outstanding, lowest is Inadequate
- these ranks are then published online which gives parents further knowledge about the quality of education in schools, thus informing their decision
31
by _ nearly _ of secondary schools had become _
- by 2021, nearly 86% of secondary schools had become academies
32
define academisation
- academisation = the movement of operation + ownership of schools from being under local councils to private organisations
- also known as privatisation
33
outline Sure Start
- centres in deprived areas that aim to give the youth the best start to life through improved healthcare, education, development, family support etc
- however these have been greatly reduced under Conservatives
34
what did the Coalition 2010-2015 government introduce / further implement (4)
- free schools (new academies set up)/ academies (converted from local authority)
- pupil premium
- increased university fees
- Ebacc
35
outline the Coalition 2010-2015 Govs academies and free schools
- free schools are privately owned + run - can be run by parents
- Academies; receive direct gov funding + may be sponsored - also given control over their admissions
- academies are previously under performing schools
- these schools boost marketisation + parental choice but feed into cream skimming - they have freedom over curriculum + admissions
- free schools reflect New Right thinking as it separates state involvement in education
35
outline the Coalition 2010-2015 Govs pupil premium + an evaluation
- PP is an amount of money that schools receive for each pupil from a disadvantaged background, e.g. those on FSM, SEN
- it aims to close the gap between them and their peers
- AO3; PP has been criticised as there is no sure way of knowing if the money is being spent on its intended purpose in schools
36
outline the Coalition 2010-2015 Govs increased uni fees + an evaluation
- uni fees inc from £3,000 per year to £9,000 per year
- this aimed to promote marketisation through inc profit making
- AO3; has negatively impacted the w/c due to fear of debt
37
outline increasing education funding in the 2019 Conservative Manifesto
- increased school funding by £14 billion - with areas previously underfunded receiving the greatest increase
38
outline the Coalition 2010-2015 Govs Ebacc
- English Baccalaureate isn't compulsory
- students must pick the core subjects as well as a humanities and language
- aims to promote a more 'academic' stream of education
39
what did the 2015-2024 Conservative gov introduce (5)
- implementing more academies + free schools
- introduced T-Levels (technical equivalent to A-Levels)
- zero tolerance for failure; support to turn around failing/ coasting schools
- 30 hours free childcare; a marketisation (getting W back into work) and equality policy (helps WC parents)
- restructuring exams; from A-C to 1-9
40
outline improved classroom standards in the 2019 Conservative Manifesto
- every school ranked Outstanding by OFSTED will receive regular checks
- investing £10 million in Behaviour Hubs
41
outline creating more great schools in the 2019 Conservative Manifesto
- to create more high quality schools; they will continue to support innovation
- give more school places to children with severe Special Educational needs
- intervening in underachieving schools
42
what's a criticism of the Conservative 2015-2024 Gov
- the Conservative Gov was inefficient from 2015-2020 due to Brexit in which they focused majority of their time on
- then there was a large focus on how to deal with Covid-19 in 2020-22 (e.g. how schools should deal with it)
43
outline open enrolment
- introduced under 1988 Conservative education reform act
- part of 'parentocracy' - parental choice increased
- allowed parents to select multiple schools as options to send their children to
- only had to specify 1 as their first choice
44
outline MATs / academy chains
- charities that run chains of academies
- are the funding body for academies
45
outline companies in education as a product of globalisation (cola-isation)
- economic globalisation has established global ICT companies, e.g. Google + Apple
- these private companies are now involved in writing curriculums + online learning materials - they prioritise profit - not better education
- thus, education is increasingly shaped by Transnational Corporations, who make a profit out of providing these services - Marxists are very critical of this
- e.g. Pearsons Edexcel
46
outline multiculturalism in education as a product of globalisation
- with increased mixing of people of diff cultures, this has led to teachings of multiculturalism, citizenship studies + a wider variety of foreign languages
- education is now multicultural, e.g. all schools teach the '6 religions' in RE + more faith schools for Muslim + Jewish students
- diversified curriculum
47
outline technology in education as a product of globalisation
- the growth of global ICT companies + global media generally challenges the authority of traditional schooling + teachers
- the traditional role of schools/ teachers seems irrelevant when you can get all your information online
- there are now more specialist schools for technology - equips students for global job market
48
outline league tables + competition in education as a product of globalisation
- international league tables, e.g. PISA, compares the standards of educational performance - introduced in 2000
- PISA is measured every 3-5yrs to compare international educational performance - this is another marketisation policy which increases pressure + competition
- increased competition for international jobs meant New Labour increased spending on education to give children the skills to boost them in the global employment market
49
outline the AO3 example of Pearsons Edexcel
- Pearsons increasing influence in education shows the inc privatisation of education
- Ps presence in policy making, curriculum, assessments reflects the commodification of education - where students become consumers
- e.g. by changing 1 topic in a textbook, the entire country has to buy new textbooks which gives them a lot of money
- is undemocratic; private conglomerates + their shareholders have significant influence over education - neither social mobility nor public interests are the priority now
50
what is an AO3 evaluation of the 2010 Coalition introduction of free schools/ academies
- Allen; mostly, its only children from highly educated families who tend to benefit most from academisation as free schools + academies have the ability to cream skim + silt shift through their freedom to control admissions
- these schools select the highest achieving + 'ideal pupils' - e.g. White/ Asian, female, MC
51
what is the Marxist view of the privatisation/ cola-isation of education
- Marxists; due to privatisation, education has become another sphere to benefit capitalists - is another source of profit making
52
name some modern examples of educational policies
- T-Levels introduced (equivalent of 3 A-Levels) in 2020
- 2024 Labour gov introduced; Free breakfast clubs - allows more W to work, more emphasis on children learning numeracyfor global market, increased funding of mental health in education
- focus mostly on equality policies
53
what are aspects that parents can view on the Govt website
- exam + test results
- Ofsted reports
- financial information of schools
- these factors play into 'parentocracy'
54
outline an example of the negative affects of marketisation policies + effect
- as well as affecting pupil's mental health to achieve, it can affect teachers'
- headteacher Ruth Perry committed suicide due to the pressure she faced after a low Ofsted report of her school
- as a result, Ofsted introduced a new reporting system; judges subcategories of which are place into 5 possible grades instead of previous single label attached for whole school
55
outline the affect of globalisation on the curriculum
- the National Curriculum, which emphasises 'Britishness', is now less relevant with globalisation - the NC is irrelevant within a globalised culture - raises the debate of assimilation vs multiculturalism
- curriculum has been diversified - e.g. more POC + women represented, e.g. in English - allows for more EM educational role models
