Educational policy

• What does educational policy refer to?

  Plans and strategies for education introduced by the government
• What is an example of educational policy in Britain?

  The 2010 Academies Act
• What issues does most educational policy respond to?

  Equal opportunities, selection and choice, control of education, marketisation, and privatisation
• What was the state of education in Britain before 1988?

  There were no state schools and education was limited to the wealthy
• How were middle-class (MC) and working-class (WC) pupils educated before 1988?

  MC pupils received an academic curriculum, while WC pupils were taught basic skills for factory work
• What did the Forster Act of 1870 accomplish?

  • Created elementary schools where no church school existed
  • Ensured access to free education until age 10 for all children
• What was the tripartite system introduced by the 1944 Education Act?

  A system that allocated children to three types of schools based on their abilities as identified by the 11+ exam
• What are the three types of schools in the tripartite system?

  Grammar schools, secondary modern schools, and secondary technical schools
• What type of curriculum did grammar schools offer?

  An academic curriculum with access to non-manual jobs and higher education
• How did the tripartite system reproduce class inequality?

  By channeling social classes into different types of schools that offered unequal opportunities
• What was the impact of the tripartite system on gender inequality?

  Girls had to achieve higher marks than boys in the 11+ exam to gain a grammar school place
• What was the aim of the comprehensive school system introduced in 1965?

  To overcome the class divide of the tripartite system and make education more meritocratic
• What did the abolition of the 11+ exam signify in the comprehensive school system?

  It aimed to provide equal educational opportunities for all pupils
• How do functionalists and Marxists view the role of comprehensives differently?

  • Functionalists: See comprehensives as promoting social integration and meritocratic selection
  • Marxists: View comprehensives as reproducing class inequality through streaming and labelling
• What did Julienne Ford's study in 1969 reveal about social mixing in comprehensive schools?

  There was little social mixing between working-class and middle-class pupils
• How do Marxists argue that comprehensives perpetuate class inequality?

  By continuing practices like streaming and labelling that deny equal opportunities to working-class children
• What is the 'myth of meritocracy' in the context of comprehensive schools?

  It legitimates class inequality by making unequal achievement seem fair and just
• What does marketisation refer to in education?

  The introduction of market forces of consumer choice and competition into state-run education
• What central theme has marketisation been since the 1988 Educational Reform Act?

  Reducing direct state control over education and increasing competition between schools
• Who introduced the 1988 Educational Reform Act?

  The conservative government of Margaret Thatcher
• What policies did the New Labour governments emphasize from 1997?

  Standards, diversity, and choice in education
• What are some policies that promote marketisation in education?

  • Publication of league tables and Ofsted reports
  • Business sponsorship of schools
  • Open enrolment for successful schools
  • Specialist schools for wider choice
  • Formula funding based on pupil numbers
  • Schools opting out of local authority control
  • Introduction of tuition fees for higher education
  • Allowing parents to set up free schools
• What is 'parentocracy' in the context of marketised education?

  A system where power shifts from producers (teachers) to consumers (parents) in choosing schools
• How do critics argue that marketisation has increased inequalities?

  By creating inequalities between schools through policies like exam league tables
• What is cream-skimming in the context of marketisation?

  When 'good' schools select high-achieving students, often from middle-class backgrounds
• What is silt-shifting in the context of marketisation?

  When 'good' schools avoid taking less able pupils to maintain their league table position
• How does the funding formula affect schools?

  Schools receive funds based on the number of pupils they attract, benefiting popular schools
• How does Gewirtz describe the impact of parental choice in marketisation?

  It advantages middle-class parents who can better navigate the educational market
• What are the three types of parents identified by Gewirtz regarding school choice?

  • Privileged-skilled choosers: MC parents using their capital for educational advantage
  • Disconnected-local choosers: WC parents with limited choices due to lack of capital
  • Semi-skilled choosers: WC parents who are ambitious but rely on others' opinions
• What does Ball argue about the concept of parentocracy?

  It is a myth that suggests all parents have equal freedom to choose schools
• How does marketisation legitimize inequality in education?

  By concealing the true causes of inequality and justifying its existence
• Educational policy has had a profound impact on society. There has been a shift in policy from the 1940’s where the tripartite system existed, legitimising inequality in education, to the new system of comprehensive schooling introduced in 1965. Although the New Labour policies sought to reduce inequality, the conservative policies have reintroduced a system of inequality by encouraging privatisation and marketisation.
• When was the tripartite system introduced?

  1944
• What were the two main types of secondary schools in the tripartite system?

  Grammar and secondary modern schools
• What exam was used for selection in the tripartite system?

  The 11+ exam
• Which type of pupils mostly attended grammar schools under the tripartite system?

  Most middle-class pupils
• Which type of pupils mostly attended secondary modern schools under the tripartite system?

  Most working-class pupils
• When was the comprehensive system introduced?

  1965
• What significant change did the comprehensive system bring about?

  It abolished the 11+ exam
• What type of school did all pupils attend under the comprehensive system?

  The same local comprehensive school