1. Education Policy Tripartite Education system (1944)
Comprehensive Education system (1965)
Education Reform Act (1988)
New Labour (1997)

2. Lesson Objective
To evaluate educational policy introduced by the Conservative Government from Education Reform Act (1988)

3. Education Reform Act 1988 Aims To raise standards
To make schools more accountable
To run schools on ‘market principles’ and improve efficiency/competition
To give parents (consumers) greater choice
Creating an education 'market' so that schools were competing against each other for 'customers' (pupils). B
‘Bad’ schools would lose pupils and close, leaving only the good schools open.

4. Education Reform Act 1988 Key Features The National Curriculum
National testing (Key Stages/SATs)
League Tables
OfSTED
Open enrolment
Local Management of school Budgets (LMS)
Grant Maintained Status (GMS)
City Technology Colleges

5. Marketisation, Competition and Choice in Education
National Curriculum 1988
Marketisation, Competition and Choice in Education
Brought in by “New Right” Conservative Government’s “Education Reform Act”, to improve standards through competition;
Giving parents choice;
Schools running more like businesses;
League tables,
Testing;
Increasing the focus on Vocational training)

6. National Curriculum 1988
A standard curriculum in all state schools (core curriculum)
Key Stages 1,2,3 and 4
Specific targets/graded levels
Shifted responsibility for what was to be taught away from teachers to central government.
Three core and seven foundation subjects

7. Pros and Cons Pros Compare performance of schools
Continuity when a pupil moved school
Central government control – raise standards
Same ‘diet’ for all
Cons
Political interference in school ‘learning’
Less choice – minority subjects ‘edged out’
Not suitable for all – suits ‘academic’ pupil
Private schools not teach it

8. National Testing At the end of each key stage Ages 7,11,14 and 16
Results published
Students pushed to hit targets
Previously pupil progress was tracked by teacher assessments

9. Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) was set up.
“Rigorous” school inspections every 3 years
Emphasis on inspection rather than support.
Aggressive system of naming and shaming and placing into “special measures” for “failing schools”.

10. Pros and Cons Pros Teachers encouraged to get high grades
Performance could be compared
Student can monitor their own progress.
Schools held responsible for their progress and standards.
Cons
Pressure on pupils
Many students fail and feel worthless
Schools become exam factories
Do not analyse ‘value added’
Students may be more talented in subjects not tested

11. League Tables
Annually published results of school examination performances at GCSE and A LEVEL

12. Pros and Cons Pros Parents can compare schools
Schools motivated to improve
Make teachers accountable for results
Cons
Creates ‘sink schools’
Doesn’t measure Value Added
Doesn’t take into account the socio-economic make up of schools
Schools manipulate figures, ie) attendance

13. Open Enrolment Schools can take pupils from anywhere
Parents can send children anywhere
Increased competition between schools

14. Pros and Cons Pros Specialist schools – more choice
Schools compete – raise standards
More popular schools received more funding (LMS) per pupil funding
Cons
Least popular schools – less funding
Broke up communities
Minority subjects abandoned
Schools too focused on ‘marketing’

15. Grant Maintained Status
School opt out of LEA control if the majority of parents voted
Complete control over their budgets and how the school was run.
Free to select intake on basis of ability and interview

16. Local Management of Schools
Management responsibility for school budgets taken away from LEAs and given to individual schools (Head Teachers).
Much greater flexibility and responsibility now on Heads
90% of school budget became headmasters responsibility

17. City Technology Colleges (CTCs)
A new type of school was set up in the inner cities
CTCs specialising in technology, the arts, maths and science set up in inner city areas
CTCs are independent of LEA and were intended to be financed by local industry

18. Pros and Cons
Pros
Greater autonomy for headteachers –prioritise spending
Less ‘dictating’ by LEA
More funds at the disposal of the school.
Cons
Some schools had more money
Schools avoided LEA specialist guidance in ‘progressive’ education
Entry examinations re-emerged.

19. So…what were the consequences of the 1988 Education Reform Act?
Greater choice
Competition
Meeting equal opportunities
Raising standards
Greater control and standardisation of British education
Schools and teachers now more accountable

20. Or….. Reduced choice Limited subjects in school
Unfair advantage in some schools
Creating sink schools
Destruction of ‘local education’ and the networks between schools and guidance from LEA
Schools becoming ‘exam factories’
Too much parent power – interference
Greater pressure on students – a sense of failure
Greater admin and teachers losing their creative independence
Removed the ‘local flavour’ of schools and their catchment

21. Complete the following...
Plenary
Complete the following...
The main changes implemented by the Conservative Government, that were different from the Comprehensive Act (1965) were...

22. Read the article and complete the critical think sheet provided.
Lesson Prep
Read the article and complete the critical think sheet provided.