Educational policy revision

What do you need to know? Specification: The significance of educational policies including: Policies of selection Marketisation Privatisation Policies to achieve greater opportunity or outcome (gender, ethnicity, class) The impact of globalisation on educational policy

What’s the point of policies? To raise educational standards Creating equality of opportunity in a meritocratic society – everyone should have the same chance of developing and earning qualifications, ensuring everyone has the same access to and chances of success in education. Economic efficiency – develop talents of young people, improve the skills of the labour force BUT… most policies actually create inequality and make it worse! Especially for particular groups e.g. class, ethnicity, gender…

Policies to improve equality of opportunity in access to education The 1944 Tripartite System Main aims Selective education – to provide different education to different types of student Equality of opportunity – ability not money to determine schooling for the first time Details of the Act Tripartite system 11+ 3 Types of school Evaluations MC to grammar schools – still inequality Lacked parity of esteem

Policies to improve equality of opportunity in access to education 1965 Comprehensives Main aims Equality of opportunity – one type of school for all pupils Details of the act Abolition of TP system One type of school for each person Evaluations Lack of parental choice Poor standards in some schools Banding and streaming along class lines

Policies to improve equality of opportunity in access to education The 1988 Education Act Main aims (Neoliberalism and The New Right) To introduce free market principles (more competition) into the education system to introduce greater parental choice and control over state education Started the privatisation of education Raising standards. Details of the act Marketisation and Parentocracy League Tables OFSTED National Curriculum Formula Funding Evaluations Competition did increase standards Selection by mortgage Cream skimming/ polarisation MC more choice – cultural capital, skilled choosers…. Also criticisms of league tables – teaching to test

New Labour - 1997 Evaluations Main aims To respond to increased competition due to globalisation Raising standards Equality of opportunity Increasing choice and diversity Details of policies Increased funding to education Reduced class sizes, introduced literacy and numeracy hour Academies Sure Start EMA Tuition fees introduced for HE Evaluations Early academies rose standards in poor areas a lot Generally better at improving equality of opportunity than the New Right Parents liked sure start but it didn’t improve education (improved health) Tuition fees put working class students off (connor et al)

2010 The Coalition Government and the Conservative Government Main aims Same as the New Right To reduce public spending on education due to the financial crisis. Details of policies Cut funding to education (Scrapped EMA) Forced academisation Free Schools Pupil Premium Evaluations Standards have carried on raising Academisation and Free schools are both ideological – no evidence they improve standards more than LEA schools Free schools – advantage the middle classes/ duplicate resources Pupil Premium – too early to say!

Policies on Gender Gender – tripartite system was in favour of boys – girls had to get a higher mark to secure a place – benefittiing boys Marketisation has created more competition, girls are now seen as desirable as they get higher exam results – league tables have improved opportunities for girls, SFP ect. Boys are often seen as a liability now and prevent high-achieving girls from applying Coursework – also helped girls achievement – girls generally are better at coursework and therefore works in their favour GIST – (girls into science and technology) inspire girls to choose maths, physics and computing. WISE members attract, retain, develop and progress female talent in their companies.

Policies on Ethnicity Assimilation policies – focussed on the need for pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds by helping with English and raising achievement Sociologists may criticise this, as some ethnic minority students can already speak English, but they are still underachieving. Multicultural education – valuing all cultures within the curriculum, raising self-esteem among ethnic minority pupils  stone says it isn’t self-esteem that is the reason black pupils fail  these policies don’t tackle institutional racism Social inclusion policies Monitoring exam results, E.A.L programmes. Race relations act – all schools must promote racial equality.

Questions to try (10 marks)