educational polciy 1988

• The 1988 education reform act introduced the concept of marketisation, which refers to the process of introducing market forces of consumer choice and competition into areas run by the state.
• The 1979 Margret Thatcher education reforms increasingly came under scrutiny, with the idea that education was failing.
• The aims of marketisation include improving the standard of education, reducing direct state control over education, promoting competition between schools, and providing parents and pupils with greater choice over the education they receive.
• Standard testing introduced as part of the 1988 education reform act gave schools a basis for competition.
• The national curriculum, also introduced as part of the 1988 education reform act, ensures students study the same lessons.
• League tables, which are annually published results of schools examination performance at GCSE and a levels, allow parents to compare schools and motivate teachers to improve results.
• Formula funding, another part of the 1988 education reform act, is based on the number of pupils and gives schools more money for each additional student.
• Open enrolment, another part of the 1988 education reform act, allows schools to take students from anywhere, increasing competition and social class divide.
• Grant maintained status, another part of the 1988 education reform act, allows schools to opt out of league control and receive funding from the government directly.
• Grant maintained status also gives schools greater autonomy from head teachers and less dictating by Local Inspectorate Authority (LIA).
• Schools with grant maintained status avoid specialist guidance in progressive education and entry for examinations re-emerged.
• The consequences of the 1988 education reform act include greater choice, but there are concerns on testing students so frequently.
• The 1988 education reform act cannot fully operate like a true market as education is not paid for, making it a quasi market.
• The 1988 education reform act was motivated by conservatives who wanted to reduce labor power.
• Little places opened in popular schools as a result of the 1988 education reform act.
• The new right  ​

  • 1979 Margret thatcher education increasingly under scrutiny  ​
  • Suggested that education was failing  ​
  • Idea was to create an education market  ​
• Aims ​

  • Improve standard of education ​
  • Reduce direct state control over education ​
  • Promote competition between schools ​
  • Provide parents and pupils with greater choice over education they receive ​
• Achieved ​

  • Standard testing – gave schools a basis for competition – gases ​
  • National curriculum – students study same lessons ​
  • Lauge tables – schools ranked against each other ​
  • Formula funding – schools funding based on number of pupils ​
  • Open enrolment – parents had choice on where to send students ​
• Marketisation – refers to the process of introducing market forces of consumer choice and competition between suppliers into areas run by the state  ​
• Consequences ​

  Greater choice ​

  Concern on testing students so frequently ​

  Can't fully operate like a true market – not paying for education – quasi market ​

  Motivated as conservatives wanted to reduce labor power​

  Little places opened in popular schools ​
• National curriculum  ​

  • A standard curriculum in all state schools  ​
  • Key stage 1,2,3,4  ​
  • Specific targets and grade levels  ​
  • Compare performance of schools  ​
  • Continuity when students move  ​
  • Central government controlled  ​
  • Political interference in schools learning  ​
  • Less choice – minority subjects edged out  ​
  • Not suitable for all  ​
  • Private schools don't teach the same  ​
• Grant maintained status ​

  Schools opt out of league control ​

  Direct funding from gov ​

  • Greater autonomy from head teachers ​
  • Less dictating by LIA ​
  • Schools avoided lea specialist guidance in progressive education ​
  • Entry for examinations re-emerged ​
• Formula funding  ​

  More students = more funding  ​

  • More competition  ​
  • Specialist schools – more choice  ​
  • Breaks the community ​
  • Minority subjects are abandoned  ​
  • Too focused on marketisation  ​
  • Creates sink schools  ​
• Ofstead – to regulate and inspect schools ​
• League tables  ​

  Annually published results of schools examination performance at GCSE and a levels  ​

  • Parents can compare schools  ​
  • Motivation to improve  ​
  • Makes teachers accountable for results  ​
  • Creates sink schools  ​
  • Doesn't measure value added  ​
  • Doesn't take into account the socio-economic make-up of the school  ​
  • Schools manipulate figures – attendance  ​
• Open enrolment ​

  Schools take students from anywhere ​

  • Increases competition ​
  • Social class divide ​