Educational social policy Flashcards
(25 cards)
What was the Butler act?
Free and Compulsory Secondary Education: It made secondary education free and compulsory for all children up to the age of 15, ensuring that every child had access to education beyond the elementary level.
Tripartite System: The act introduced a system of three types of schools:
Grammar Schools (for academically gifted students),
Secondary Modern Schools (for students who did not pass the grammar school entrance exam),
Technical Schools (for students interested in practical or vocational subjects).
Local Education Authorities: It strengthened the role of local education authorities in overseeing and providing education within their areas.
Religious Education: The Act also made religious education a part of the curriculum, but with an emphasis on Christianity, while allowing for some flexibility regarding other religious teachings.
School Leaving Age: While it set the school leaving age at 15, the act laid the groundwork for future discussions and reforms around extending this age.
What was the Tri-partite System?
11+ Exams
Those with academic ability go to Grammar Schools (20%).
Those with aptitude for engineering go to Technical schools. (5%)
Those who fail the 11+ go to secondary modern where they learn practical skills for manual labour (sewing/needle-work, woodwork). (75%)
What was the educational reform act 1988 ?
Educational policies introduced by Margaret Thatcher.
It aimed at reforming the comprehensive schooling system of the Social Democrats.
It implemented a number of policies aimed at “Marketizing” the education system.
What were the Policies (NOLFIV) ?
National Curriculum - government told teachers what to teach – all schools taught the same thing. All students were tested on this at ages 7, 11 and 14.
Open enrolment - Parents were allowed to send their students to whichever school they wanted. This increased competition between schools to perform well. Before this, students were assigned the school they went to based on their location.
League tables - Schools had to publish their results for their key-stage tests, GCSEs and A-levels. Schools were put on leader-boards based on these results.
Formula Funding - The amount of money you were given as a school depended on how many students enrolled there which led to economies of scale. Increased competition through open enrolment.
Independence from local government - Schools got money directly from central government .Schools were allowed to use that money to specialise in a specific areas, for example, Science labs. Before, schools were told where to allocate their money by local councils.
Vocational education - New “City Technology Colleges” were introduced that focused on teaching Science, Technology and Maths. Different to typical secondary schools, mainly in inner-city areas for student 11-18 years olds.
Evaluation of Educational reform act 1988:
National curriculum leads to teachers teaching only to the test.
Open enrolment - Selection by mortgage. (Wealthy people can buy houses near the best schools, so their kids (usually MC) can get in.)
League tables leads to teaching to the test . ( Students learn what they need to do well in tests, not necessarily what is worth learning like higher-order thinking.)
Labour policies: What was vocational education and training
Teaching and equipping students to be able to compete in the global economy.
Skills for jobs.
Labour policies: What was Specialist schools
focusing on a particular area of curriculum and then were able to select 10% of students who showed aptitude in this specialism.
Labour policies: What was Sure start centres
Improving pre-school facilities, improving the schools themselves and providing financial help and advice designed to give socially disadvantaged children a fairer chance to fulfil their ambitions.
Labour policies: Academisation
The academies programme introduced by New Labour was primarily aimed at failing schools and by May 2010 there were 203 academies in England.
-Academies are schools which receive their funding directly from central government and are completely independent from local councils.
-New Labour thought that Academies could both raise standards and tackle inequality of educational opportunity simultaneously.
Labour policies: Expansion of higher education
Coalition government : Academies
wanting all schools to apply to become academies.
Govt stated that in academies, the focus becomes the children and particularly helping the poorer children achieve (not agreed by all).
Two types of academies:
-Sponsored – forced to by the DfE because they are failing.
-Converter academies – ones who choose to
Coalition government : Free schools
controversial and linked to giving schools / parents more power / autonomy (in short anyone can set up a school!)
Aim to increase diversity - competition and drive up standards
Giving teachers ability to adapt their schools to the needs of the local community. Again adapting to needs of the children (Gove).
Additional money for these free schools in poorer areas.
Inspected by Ofsted
Coalition government : Pupil premium
Payment to schools based on number of Free School Meal (FSM) students they
had. £1000 per qualifying pupil.
Helps poorer students become more socially mobile.
Coalition government : Further Education (tuition fees)
EMA removed. (costly – £560m / yr).
Replaced with 16-19 bursary fund - £180m / yr.
Gove said it would be more targeted to who needed it most.
Criticised for discouraging WC students to continue education.
Conservative policy: Progress 8 and Ebacc
Progress 8 - A way of measuring performance = Competition + social mobility.
Ebacc - The English Baccalaureate = Raising standards by making schooling more “rigorous” (some argue more traditional). Core curriculum: English, Maths, Science, History or Geography, and MFL.
Conservative policy: Multi-Academy Trusts
Further Academisation (Multi-Academy Trusts) = Competition = raising standards of more schools.
Conservative party Grammar school debate:
Pros : Social mobility ,Targeting WC kids / area , Basis of meritocracy , Parental support.
Cons: Ofsted head labelled it as ‘tosh’
-It would strengthen class inequality not bridge it
MC would benefit – CC
Tutor proof tests – dismissed – don’t work.
WC kids who don’t get into gr schools will end up in other schools – going back to TP system – ‘sink’ schools.
Far more FSM/PP students in non selective schools.
How does globalisation link to education ?
Governments want to sell their goods and services across the world.
Governments need a skilled workforce that can create and deliver the good and
services which can bring money into the country.
They need to ensure that their workforce has the correct skills to cater for the types of industries they specialise in/want to grow.
What was PISA rankings ?
This organisation ranks over 70 countries education systems by using tests for Maths,
Science and Reading given to samples of 15 year olds.
PISA allows countries to see which educational policies are working around the world.
-They can then try to emulate these policies in their own system and thus improve it (competition = innovation).
Evaluation of PISA rankings:
However, because of cultural differences between countries, it is sometimes
difficult to work out what policies are actually leading to success and why.
Globalisation leading to marketisation:
Globalisation is leading to education being commodified and sold abroad.
Education is a business and money can be made from it by private companies.
example: Wellington school now have satellite ‘branches’ around the world. Like a business, it wants to expand and profit. It has a replica building in Beijing China
What is Covert selection ?
“Covert selection” – means that certain schools manage to select particular students from the middle-class without it seeming or being deliberate.
What are Private schools ?
They have an entrance exam and parents must pay for their students
to attend if they pass the entrance exam.
PROS of private schools:
-7 times more likely to get to ‘Oxbridge’.
-They tend to be selective schools with entrance examinations which means academic standards are kept high.
-Smaller class sizes meaning that each student can get more attention and help.
-Better teachers
-Higher chances of students getting jobs.
-There are opportunities for PP and less privileged students to go.
