EDUCATION policies

• The Tripartite System

  • 1944
  • education for all - seems to be meritocratic
  • every child completed an 11+ in year 6 which decided what school they would go to (secondary)
• what are the three type of schools

  1. grammar school
  2. secondary modern
  3. technical school
• Grammar school 


  most able attended

  upper/middle class

  boys

  white students
• secondary modern

  most students went here

  intelligent students
• technical school

  practical

  unacademic students
• what is the evaluation for all of these schools

  it is not meritocratic
• Comprehensivisation

  1960s

  abolished the compulsory 11+

  created comprehensive schools which still exist

  wanted equality of opportunity and outcome

  one size fits all

  mixture of ability gender class and ethnicity
• Education reform act 1988


  the conservative government was strongly influenced by the new right ideas

  the act included the national curriculum ,SATS, league tables, formula funding and open enrolment

  established a market mechanism where parents had to inform the schools and could choose where they sent their children too

  schools could therefore attract students which led to more funding

  this led to an increase in competition of exam results which can lead to marketisation.
• what is the national curriculum

  all pupils in a state school were taught the same topic at the same time in the same subjects

  it is easier to compare using standardised tests

  this took the control away from the education authorities
• SATS

  Standard attainment tests

  ages 7,11,14

  GCSES and A levels
• league tables 


  a list of schools in order of performance

  parents can make a choice about where they want their child to go

  created parentocracy
• formula funding

  schools were now funded based on how many pupils they had attracted
• open enrolment

  a policy of process by which parents may send their children to a different school rather than the one in their own community (used to be catchment areas)
• COALITION GOV: academies

  2010

  schools were encouraged to leave the local authority control and became academies

  academies have been given more control over their curriculum

  this removed the focus of labours original idea of targeting disadvantaged areas
• COALITION GOV: free schools

  free schools are set up and run by parents teachers and faith organisers or businesses rather than authority

  they claim to improve educational standards by taking away control from the state and giving power to the parents

  it gives parents the opportunity to start their own schools if they arent happy with the current system
• free school meals

  all children in reception year 1 and year 2 could receive free school meals
• pupil premium

  the money that schools receive for each pupil premium student from a disadvantaged background
• NEW LABOUR: sure start centres

  a form of compensatory education provided parenting and health advice from pregnancy through to pre school as well as providing childcare and early years education

  most of their funding has now been cut
• NEW LABOUR: educational maintenance allowance

  this was introduced where school and college students aged 16-19 could be paid up to £30 a week for attending

  the plan was to compensate for material deprivation allowing students to pay for books and travel
• NEW LABOUR: education action zones

  Introduced in 1988

  a group of schools with parents and community groups and businesses and aimed to attract sponsorship and investment from the private sector

  the most deprived schools were provided with additional resources
• LABOUR

  when labour came into power in 1997 there were a number of changes to the education policies but much of the agenda could be seen as a continuation of marketisation