Social Policy Flashcards
(19 cards)
1944 Education Act
- introduced compulsary state education up to 14 years
- set up tri-partite system to supposably get ‘equal status’ in schools
- children sat 11+ that measured innate ability
- if passed, went to grammer school
How many children went to grammer schools due to 1944 Education Act
Approx 20%
What were the aims of 1944 Education Act?
- to abolish inequality
- 11+ was seen as fair and scientific way to measure abililty people were ‘born with’
What were the strengths of 1944 Education Act?
- upward social mobility for working class children who passed 11+
What were the weaknesses of 1944 Education Act?
- students who didn’t pass were labelled ‘failures’ and not allowed to sit exams
- written in elaborated code that W.C students couldn’t understand so more M.C students went
- there were fewer spaces for girls and a higher pass rate for girls to attend
1965 Comprehensive Education Act
- Abolished selection at age 11
- aimed to educate all children in the same school regardless of class, gender, ethnicity
What were the aims of 1965 Comprehensive Education Act?
believed that meritocratic ideals were more likely to appear in comprehensive systems so everyone should have the same opportunities
What were the strenghts of 1965 Comprehensive Education Act?
It recognised ‘late bloomers’ and that children develop at different rates so grouped through sets and streaming instead of 11+
What were the weaknesses of 1965 Comprehensive Education Act?
- private schools still existed for wealthy (7% of UK kids)
- inequality between schools –> inequality within schools
- not all grammer schools shut down
- comprehensive lacked discipline and got poor results
- failed to prepare students for work
What did The Education Reform Act 1988 feature?
Testing
National Curriculum
League Tables
Open enrolment
Etc…
What perspective was The Education Reform Act 1988?
The New Right
What were the aims of The Education Reform Act 1988?
that marketisation would increase competion between school and so parentocracy
What was the result of The Education Reform Act 1988?
School grades did improve
What were the weaknesses of The Education Reform Act 1988?
- still gender, class, ethnicity inequalities in results
- testing = stress
money spent on marketing (advertising) instead of education - fewer places in ‘best schools’
What are city academies?
introduced to improve standards in deprived working-class communities
What are sure start centres?
Offered childcare, play sessions, parenting advice and employment coaching
What were the New Labour Policy (1997-2010) aims?
specialist schools
- schools that were expert in 1 in 10 subjects
What were Conservative Education Policy (2010+) aims?
- Trebling (make 3 times as much) tuition fees
- Pupil premium
- Education Maintanence Allowance
- GCSE and ALevels Reform (2016)
Ball
On 1988 Education Reform Act
Argues these policies benefit middle-class families who have the resources to exploit school choice so reinforcing rather than reducing inequality
