New Labour policies

• New Labour had three aims for education:

  1. Raise standards.
  2. Increase diversity and choice in education.
  3. Improve equality of opportunity.
• Policies introduced under New Labour

  • Increased funding to education.
  • Between 1997 and 2003, government spending on early-years education rose from £2bn to £3.6bn.
  • Reduced class sizes.
  • Smaller class sizes allows the needs of disadvantages groups to be met more easily and increase the quality of education they receive.
• Policies introduced under New Labour

  • National Literacy Strategy/National Numeracy Strategy.
  • Introduced a daily 'literacy hour' and daily 'numeracy hour' in schools to raise the overall standards of reading, writing and arithmetic.
  • There was also an emphasis on I.T. skills.
• Policies introduced under New Labour

  Academics

  • Failing schools in inner-cities, attended mostly by working class pupils, were combined with others to create academics.
  • Academics are funded directly from central government and the Department for Education, not local authorities.
  • This means they are free to set their own term dates, admission policies, pay rates for staff, and they have more autonomy over the National Curriculum.
  • They do not follow it, but they must ensure it is 'broad and balanced'.
• Policies introduced under New Labour

  Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA)

  • Students from low-income backgrounds would be given payments directly into their bank accounts to encourage them to remain in education beyond age sixteen.
  • As well as a financial incentive it would support students from low-income background with travel costs, the purchase of equipment and resources, and food.
  • EMA still exists in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but was ended in England in 2011 by the Coalition government.
• Policies introduced under New Labour

  • Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA)
  • In 2010 in England, EMA was paid as follows:
  • House earning under £20,817 p.a. - £30 every two weeks.
  • Households earning between £20,818 and £25, 521 p.a. - £20 every two weeks.
  • Households earning between £25,522 and £30,801 p.a. - £10 every two weeks.
• Policies introduced under New Labour

  • Increased the number of assessments and targets in schools.
  • Key stage one, two and three; GCSEs, A-levels, OFSTED, truancy and exclusion rates.
  • Introduced vocational diplomas for 14-19 year olds.
  • Introduced vocational courses for 16-19 year olds.
  • Expanded the roles of specialist schools.
  • Schools were expanded to focus on a particular area of the curriculum.
  • Rejects the ides of 'one-size-fits-all' comprehensive schooling and allows increased diversity in subjects taught, and increased parental choice when selecting a school.
• Policies introduced under New Labour

  • Introduction of faith schools.
  • As a response to the growing diversity in the UK.
  • Christian faith schools have existed since the early 20th century.
  • New Labour expanded faith schools to other religions.
  • In 2011, England had 20,000 schools and approximately one-third were faith schools (around 7,000).
  • 68%-Christian schools.
  • 30%- Roman Catholic schools.
  • 42 Jewish schools, 12 Muslim schools, 3 Sikh schools and 1 Hindu school.
• Policies introduced under New Labour

  • Introduction of Citizenship classes to the National Curriculum.
  • "develop social and moral responsibility, political literacy and community involvement."
  • Increased the number of places available in Higher Education.
  • Under New Labour, the number of people attending university increased from 1.2 million to 1.8 million.
  • As demand grew and more people went to university, tuition fees were introduced as the government could no longer afford to subsidise it.
  • 1998-£1,000 p.a.
  • 2004-£3,000 p.a. maximum.
• Policies introduced under New Labour

  Sure Start.

  • A 'one-stop-shop' aimed at children under five and their families to:
  • Provide high quality and affordable early years education and childcare.
  • To raise parenting skills, aspirations and self-esteem.
  • To improve child and family health through education.
  • To act as a hub for local communities, building community cohesion and social capital.
  • By 2010 there were over 3300 Sure Start centres in the UK.
  • Children aged 2-4 are given twelve hours a week free nursery provision.
• Policies introduced under New Labour:

  Every Child Matters.

  • Concern around the suitability of child welfare services led to the Children Act 2004 and Every Child Matters, where children should be the focus and have policies made for their needs, and not the opposite.
  • Teachers were expected to liaise with other child professionals to expand learning support for children.
  • ALS, student support.
• Policies introduced under New Labour:

  Every Child Matters.

  • Five desired outcomes emphasised by ECM:
  • Being healthy.
  • Staying safe.
  • Enjoyment and achievement.
  • Making a positive contribution.
  • Economic well-being.
  • Education Action Zones.
  • Designed to bring schools in deprived areas together to be ‘clusters of schools’
  • Brought together schools, parents, businesses and community groups to attract sponsorship from the private sector and boost attainment and performance.
• Policies designed to improve standards in education.

  • Reduction in class sizes.
  • Literacy and Numeracy hour.
  • Academies.
  • Expansion of Higher Education.
• Policies designed to reduce inequality of opportunity.

  • Education Action Zones.
  • Sure Start.
  • EMA.
• Policies designed to increase diversity.

  • Specialist schools.
  • Faith schools.
  • Every Child Matters.