Marketisation in the Education System

Question 1

Definition:

Answer 1

Applying market principles to education (competition, choice, privatisation).

Question 2

Policies

Answer 2

Education Reform Act (1988)

Question 3

Education Reform Act (1988)

Answer 3

introduced league tables, Ofsted, formula funding, open enrolment

Question 4

Academisation

Answer 4

schools run independently of local authorities.

Question 5

Free Schools

Answer 5

set up by groups (e.g., parents, charities) to increase choice.

Question 6

Advantages (New Right View)

Answer 6

• Increases standards through competition.
• Gives parents more choice (parentocracy).

Question 7

Criticisms (Marxist/Feminist)

Answer 7

• Ball
• Bartlett
• Leads to reproduction of inequality
• not all parents have equal capacity to choose.

Question 8

Ball (1994)

Answer 8

Marketisation benefits the middle class.

Question 9

Bartlett

Answer 9

Marketisation in the Education System encourages cream-skimming and silt-shifting.

Question 10

Marketisation refers to

Answer 10

a trend in education policy from the 1980s where schools were encouraged to compete against each other
and act more like private businesses

Question 11

1988 Education Reform Act , introduced by

Answer 11

• Thatcher’s Conservative Government. - Thatcher, however, largely takes a
  New-Right perspective

Question 12

1988 Education Reform Act - main aims

Answer 12

• To Introduce free market principles (more competition) into the education system to introduce greater parental choice and control over state education.
• Raising standards in education.
• ( aims associated with Neoliberalism and The New Right)

Question 13

Details of the 1988 Education Reform Act

Answer 13

• Marketisation and Parentocracy
• League Tables
• OFSTED
• National Curriculum
• Formula Funding

Question 14

Marketisation and Parentocracy

Answer 14

schools compete for pupils’ parents are like consumers

Question 15

League Tables

Answer 15

so parents can see how well schools are doing and make a
choice

Question 16

OFSTED

Answer 16

to regulate and inspect schools

Question 17

National Curriculum

Answer 17

so that all schools are teaching the same basic subjects

Question 18

Formula Funding

Answer 18

• funding based on numbers of pupils
  – which encourages schools to raise standards to increase demand

Question 19

Ofsted was introduced under the 1988 Education Reform Act

Answer 19

All state funded schools (Primary, Secondary and Sixth Forms) are
inspected under the same framework and are judged from
“Outstanding” to ”Inadequate”.

• Schools are usually given a day’s notice before an inspection, in
  extreme cases 15 minutes.
• Schools rated “Outstanding” are usually most-sought after by parents.
• Schools rated as “Requires improvement” or below (sometimes “Good” even) face reputational damage

Question 20

The issue with 1988 Education Reform Act

Answer 20

• Selection by mortgage
• Cream skimming
• Marketisation has reproduced inequalities
• Stephen Ball (1994) and Geoff Whitty (1988)

Question 21

The issue with 1988 Education Reform Act - Selection by mortgage

Answer 21

the house prices in the catchment areas of the best schools increased, pricing out poorer parents

Question 22

The issue with 1988 Education Reform Act - Cream skimming

Answer 22

the best schools tended to select the best students, who were predominantly m/c

Question 23

Marketisation has reproduced inequalities because …

Answer 23

for example, m/c parents are better placed to take advantage of the available choices

Question 24

Stephen Ball (1994) and Geoff Whitty (1988)

Answer 24

examined how marketisation reproduces these through league tables and the funding formula:
- Selection by mortgage
- Cream skimming
- inequalities

Question 25

Bartlett (1993) - main argument

Answer 25

- argues that marketisation leads to popular schools - Cream Skimming - Silt-Shifting

Question 26

Bartlett (1993) - Cream Skimming

Answer 26

Schools selecting higher ability pupils who gain the best results and cost less to teach

Question 27

Bartlett (1993) - Silt-Shifting

Answer 27

Schools off-loading pupils with learning difficulties who get poorer results and cost more to teach.

Question 28

Gilborn and Youdell (2004) - main

Answer 28

The A-to-C economy

Question 29

Gilborn and Youdell - longer points

Answer 29

- Schools are under pressure to stream and select pupils who will achieve a good league table position to attract funding. * League tables generates a “A-C Economy”. - Schools ration their time, effort and resources, concentrating on pupils perceived at having 5 A-C target. * Referred to as the “Educational Triage”

Question 30

Ball (1994)

Answer 30

- we have an appearance of parentocracy - seems to give parents free choice, however m/c parents have more economic & cultural capital and can therefore take advantage of the choices. - E.g. moving to be closer to a more desirable school.

Question 31

Gerwirtz (1995) - Priviledged skilled chooser

Answer 31

- Professional m/c parents used their cultural and eco. capital to + education capital for children - Take full advantages to the choices open to them as they are confident and well educated.

Question 32

Gerwirtz (1995) - Cultural and Economic capital

Answer 32

Cultural capital- knew how the admission system works & had time to visit schools and the skills to research Economic capital- could afford to move their children around the education system to get the best deal e.g. paying travel costs

Question 33

Gerwirtz (1995) - Disconnected Local Choosers

Answer 33

w/c with lack of cult. & eco. capital - Find it difficult to understand admission procedures - Less confident and less aware of choices available to them - Less able to manip. the sys. to suit them - More interested in safety and quality of the schools facilities rather than achievement and ambitions - Distance and cost of travel are major restrictions- nearest school often most realistic

Question 34

Gerwirtz (1995) - Semi-skilled chooser

Answer 34

- Mainly w/c - Ambitious for their children - Lacked cultural capital and found the market difficult and often rely on other people's opinions. - Frustrated with inability to place child where they wanted