Marketisation

• What is the main focus of the educational policy discussed in the study material?

  Marketisation
• What is marketisation in education?

  • Introduction of market forces
  • Consumer choice and competition among educational institutions
  • Aimed at reducing state control to raise educational standards
• When did the process of marketisation in education begin?

  Since the 1980s
• What are league tables in the context of education?

  Rankings of schools based on performance data like GCSE results
• What key subjects are included in the English Baccalaureate?

  English, Maths, 2 Sciences, a modern language, History or Geography
• What are the arguments for marketisation in education?

  • Drives up standards in schools, especially in WC areas
  • Provides a means of measuring school performance over time
  • Empowers parents with information for informed choices (parentocracy)
• What are the arguments against marketisation in education?

  • League tables lead to cream skimming and silt shifting
  • Educational triage results in unequal support for students
  • Reduces collaboration between schools due to competition
• What evidence supports the claim that marketisation has raised educational standards?

  OFSTED reports show an increase in good to outstanding schools
• What is open enrolment in the context of education?

  Students can enroll at any school, even outside their catchment area
• What are the benefits of open enrolment?

  • Drives up standards as unpopular schools must improve
  • Offers greater choice for students and parents
  • Makes schools more responsive to parental wishes
• How do MC/Indian parents benefit from open enrolment according to Gewirtz (1995)?

  They have economic and cultural capital to make better educational choices
• What is the myth of parentocracy in education?

  • The belief that the education system is fair and equal
  • Suggests that parents have free choices in selecting schools
  • Reality shows that inequalities persist in educational access
• What are academies in the context of education?

  Schools that have opted out of Local Education Authority control
• What are the arguments for academies?

  • Greater control over school operations, finances, and curriculum
  • Some have successfully turned around failing schools in WC areas
• What are the criticisms of academies?

  • They may perpetuate inequality by focusing on high-performing schools
  • Marxists argue they legitimize profit-making in education
• What is formula funding in education?

  Funding based per pupil, with each pupil worth a set amount
• What are the arguments for formula funding?

  • Rewards successful schools with funding for each student
  • Provides head teachers with greater financial control
• How does formula funding reproduce inequality?

  • Popular MC/Indian schools attract more funding and resources
  • Unpopular WC/black/Pakistani schools receive less funding and support
• What are free schools?

  Schools set up and run by parents, teachers, or businesses independent of LEAs
• What are the arguments for free schools?

  • Allow parents and teachers to create new schools if dissatisfied
  • Independent from local education authorities
• What are the criticisms of free schools?

  • They may take funding away from struggling state schools
  • They fragment the comprehensive education system, complicating coordination
• What is the conclusion regarding marketisation policies in education?

  They have raised educational standards but also reproduced social inequalities
• How do powerful groups benefit from marketisation policies?

  They can better navigate the education system and are attractive to schools