Marketisation

Question 1

Outline marketisation

Answer 1

• The process of introducing market forces of consumer choice and competition between suppliers into areas run by the state.
• Marketisation has created an ‘educational market’ by: reducing direct state control over education and increasing competition between schools and parental choice

Question 2

Describe the central themes of government education policy

Answer 2

• Marketisation has been a central theme since the 1988 Educational Reform Act under Thatcher’s Conservative government
• From 1997, Blair’s and Brown’s New Labour government’s followed similar polices, emphasising standards, diversity and choice
• From 2010, the Conservation-Liberal Democrat coalition government took marketisation further

Question 3

Describe parentocracy + evaluation

Answer 3

• Miriam David describes this as ‘rule by the parents’ as parents (consumers) have the power, not teachers/schools (teachers and schools). Claims to encourage diversity among schools, gives parents more choice and raises standards
• AO3: Admission process, catchment area makes it hard for parents to really choose, schools have the choice

Question 4

Describe league tables and skimming

Answer 4

• Publishing each school’s exams results, ensures schools that achieve good results are more in demand as parents are attracted to those with good league table rankings.
• Will Bartlett notes this encourages: cream skimming (‘good’ schools are more selective and choose their own consumers, recruit high achieving, middle class pupils, so these pupils gain an advantage) and silt-shifting (‘good’ schools avoid taking less able pupils who are more likely to get poor results and damage the school’s league table position)

Question 5

Describe the funding formula

Answer 5

• Schools given funds per child enrolled
• Popular schools get more, so they can afford better-qualified teachers and better facilities, allowing them to be more selective and attract more able and ambitious, generally middle-class pupils
• Unpopular schools lose income and find it difficult to match the teacher skills and facilities to their competition, leading them to not attract pupils and funding is further reduced
• Institute for Public Policy Research found competition-oriented education systems (Britain) produce more segregation between children of different social backgrounds

Question 6

Outline Gewirtz’s study on parental choice

Answer 6

• Study of 14 secondary schools, she found differences in parents’ economic and cultural capital lead to class differences in how far they can exercise choice of secondary school.
• She identifies 3 main types of parents: privileged-skilled choosers, disconnected-local choosers, semi-skilled choosers

Question 7

Describe privileged-skilled choosers

Answer 7

• Mainly middle-class parents who used economic and cultural capital to gain educational capital for their children. Being well educated meaning they can take full advantage of the choices open to them
• They have cultural capital so they know how school admissions systems work, and have the time to visit schools and skills to research the options
• Economic capital means they can afford to move to good catchment areas/pay for travel to good schools, or may even appeal rejections to schools

Question 8

Describe disconnected-local choosers

Answer 8

-Working-class parents whose choices were restricted by their lack of economic and cultural capital
- Lack of cultural capital means not understanding school admissions procedures, less confident in their dealings with schools, less aware of choices and less able to manipulate the system to their advantages. Many gave more importance to safety and quality of school facilities than to league tables or long-term ambitions
- Lack of economic capital means they couldn’t move to a good catchment area and cost of travel was a major restriction on choice of school. Funds were limited and a place at the nearest schools was often their only realistic option

Question 9

Describe semi-skilled choosers

Answer 9

• Mainly working-class but were ambitious for their children.
• Lacked economic and cultural capital and found it difficult to make sense of the education market, often relying on other people’s opinion. Often frustrated about their inability to get their children into the schools they wanted

Question 10

Describe the myth of parentocracy

Answer 10

• Ball argues parentocracy is a myth and makes it appear that all parents have the same freedom to choose schools.
• But in reality, shown by Gewirtz, middle-class parents take better advantage of choices.
• By disguising that schooling produces class inequality, the myth of parentocracy makes inequality appear fair and inevitable