educational policies

• 1944 tripartite system:

  enables meritocracy through placing students in an appropriate educational space to achieve the best of their abilities.

  introduced selection + allocation to 1 of 3 schools:

  • grammar - academic curriculum, access to higher education, passed 11+, middle class.
  • secondary modern - non academic, practical curriculum, failed 11+, working class.
  • technical - mechanics and engineering, passed 11+.
• criticisms of 1944 tripartite system:

  • reproduces class inequalities by channeling social classes into different schools that offer unequal opportunities
  • reproduces gender inequalities as girls had to gain higher marks for grammar place.
  • legitimised inequality through ideology that ability is inborn and measured by 11+ yet environments can affect success.
• 1965 comprehensive system:

  introduced to achieve meritocracy, mixed ability schools for local children.

  • 11+ to be abolished with grammars/secondary moderns yet was left to local authority to decide to ‘go comprehensive’ or not and not all did.
• advantages of 1965 comprehensive system:

  • late developers can flourish in comp schools.
  • setting/streaming allows students to move between sets = tailored education = more progress.
  • creates common culture whereby 1 social group learns the dynamic of another so class barriers are broken down.
• disadvantages of 1965 comprehensive system:

  • brighter pupils are held back as weaker ones catch up.
  • larger intakes of pupils = harder to discipline.
  • setting/streaming means this is no different to Triparite system where working class pupils re found in t he lower sets.
• 1988 education reform act:

  introduced by conservatives, marketisation of education through market principles:competition, consumer choice and reducing state policies.

  policies:

  • publication of league tables/ofsted inspections to rank schools based on performance and give info to parents to make an informed choice - ‘parentocracy’.
  • open enrolment - successful schools enrol more students and create more competition as they compete for funding.
  • national curriculum - easier to see which schools are better at the same topics.
• new labour policies 1997-2010:

  wanted more equality so all had same services and became quite committed to marketisation.

  equality:

  • Sure Start - centres providing integrated services for children under 5 (early education, health, childcare).
  • Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) - helped lower income families keep children in education after 16 for 30 pound/week.

  marketisation

  • performance related pay - salary tied to class performance to improve accountability of teachers and quality of education.
  • specialist schools - aimed to specialise in one area = successful schools receive funding.
• 2010 conservative policies:

  aimed to reduce the role of the state in provision of education through marketisation + privatisation.

  • schools encourages to become academies - 68% converted.
  • became private education businesses that were directly funded by state.
  • supporters claimed it improved standards by giving parents a voice.
  • others say it exacerbated inequalities as schools stop serving the disadvantaged due to selection.