educational policy and inequality Flashcards
(19 cards)
comprehensive schools
- a result of the problems with the tripartite systems
the comprehensive sytem (1965):
- aimed to reduce the inequality found in the education system and to give students equal status
problems:
- this systems would supposedly lower educational standards and exam results
- class differences still remained
- many comprehensive schools used setting and streaming based on ability, which left w/c students in lower sets while m/c were in the top ones
1988 education reform act
- introduced the national curriculum, aiming to increase equality as all schools taught the same core information
- however this wasnt applicable for all students and it suited academic (often m/c) students more
marketisation
the process where the education sytem is pushed towards being run like business based on supply and demand
students are considered consumers rather than pupils
3 features:
- independence = allowing schools to run on their own terms
- competition = making school compete for students
- choice = giving customers more choice in where they study
myth of parentocracy
parentocracy
- a child’s educational achievement is more of a result of parent’s wealth and desires than student ability
- parents have more choice and therefore control on where they send their children
Gewirtz:
parents are one of these;
- privileged skilled choosers–>
m/c parents who used their income and social status to tehir advantage. they are able to visit schools, know how school admission systems work and had money for better education systems (private schools, transport) - disconnected-local choosers –>
w/c parents who had limited and restricted choice, they couldnt fully understand the admissions system and didnt feel confident in an acdemic setting speaking with professionals. they prioritse locality, safety and quality of the school rather than league tables - semi-skilled choosers –>
often w/c but are ambitious for their children, however couldnt understand the education system and relied on other peoples opinions. often felt frustrated when trying to apply to “good schools” for their children
privatisation of education
opening up aspects of education to private businesses, eg: school finances, exams, staff training etc
positives:
- more efficient
- more choice for parents
- profit making acts as insentive for businesses to support failing schools
negatives:
- takes money from the education system
- when businesses collapse, schools are left stranded
- less equality
privatisation in education
changes of the internal processes of a school to run more like a business, eg treating parents and students more like consumers, target setting, performance related pay and league tables
tripartite system
-students were allocated a school dependent on their percieved ability
- intended to provided separate, equal and targetted types of education
- the act stated pupils school have equal status, recieving equal quality of education –> didnt work in practice
grammar school:
- intended for bright and acdemic students
secondary modern schools:
- the majority of students attended these
- students were given basic education and only had external exams until their CSEs
technical schools:
- targetted to children with interests in technical subjects
- schools empasised vocational skills and training
- few children attended these schools
criticisms:
- the 11+ was unreliable and wasnt effective when measuring academic ability
- the selection process was unfair and denied the opportunity of conting education after 15 to many students
- secondary modern schools were seen as second best by pupils and employers
-class divide was emphasised in this education system
3 elements of quality control
OFSTED inspections
performance publication in tables (exam results)
national curriculum - acts as a baseline
marketisation policies
conservative 1979-97
league tables - increased competition
funding formula - each student brought more funding
labour 1997-2010
business sponsered academies
specialist schools
coalition 2010-2015
academies
free schools
raising standards policies
conservative 1979-97
OFSTED
national curriculum
national testing
Labour 1997-2010
controlled class sizes
education action zones
business sponsored academies
Coalition 2010-15
pupil premium - low income students were paid to attend school
reform of the national curriculum and exam system
high performance targets for school
educational triage
- teachers target their resources on children on the C grade border to achieve grades needed for league tables –> ignoring those who are deemed unlikely to achieve this
reduced quality control
OFSTED isnt as independent as it appears –> politicians and the government often interfer by changing the standards and goal posts
3 aims of educational policy
economic efficiency:
- develop skills of the young to improve the labour force
- the education system meets the needs of industry and employers
raising educational standards:
- UK education competes in a global education market
- its ranked against other countries (PISA)
creating equality of educational opportunity:
- ensure ALL students recieve the best opportunities
4 aspects of educational equality
(POCA)
gillbourn and youdell
equality of participation:
- students should have equal chance to particpate on an level ground in all processes regarding school life
equality of outcome:
- all students should have the same chane of educational achievment regardless of class
equality of circumstance:
- children should start with similar socio-economic background in order to be truly equal
equality of access:
- every child should have equal access to opportunites to similar quality, regardless of class
schools admissions code
- policy that forbids discrimination when admitting pupils on the basis of class or ability
- however covert selection still occurs by schools and parents (postcode lottery)
policies that improve educational inequality
pupil premium = additional funding for students with lower incomes
Free school meals
EMA = payments to students from low income backgrounds
education action zones = providing certain areas with additional resources
- however kerr and west argued that were too many other external factors that impact achievement so significant change couldnt be reached with these policies
3 types of selection
selection by ability - entrance tests
selection by aptitude - talents
selection by faith
arguments for:
- allows “highflyers” to benefit
- specialised and focused teaching can take place
arguments against:
- late developers dont benefit
- mixed abilities creates social cohesion
- selection can lead to labelling and the self-fulfiling prophecy
- higher achievers can act as an inspiration to other students
covert selection
Tough and Brooks:
cherry picking students –>
- schools can discourage low income parents from applying through high uniform prices, making literature hard to understand and not advertising in poorer areas
- faith schools often require letters from spiritual leaders in order for the students to qualify
