Education policy

• What was the aim of the Comprehensive System introduced in 1965?

  To overcome class division in education
• What significant change occurred with the 11+ exam in 1965?

  It was abolished
• How did comprehensive schools select their students?

  By catchment area, not ability
• Why do some grammar schools still exist after 1965?

  Local authorities could choose not to switch
• What do Functionalists believe about the Comprehensive System?

  • Promotes social integration between classes
  • Identifies skills for meritocratic roles
  • Allows longer time for skill identification
• What do Marxists argue about the Comprehensive System?

  • Not truly meritocratic
  • Reproduces class inequalities
  • Denies working-class pupils equal opportunities
• What is streaming in education?

  Grouping pupils by ability for separate teaching
• What is the opposite of streaming?

  Mixed-ability teaching
• What does "The Myth of Meritocracy" refer to?

  Schools justify inequalities as fair and just
• What are the four dimensions of equality of educational opportunity identified by Gillborn and Youdell?

  1. Access
  2. Participation
  3. Circumstance
  4. Outcome
• What does 'Access' mean in the context of educational opportunity?

  Everyone should be able to go to school
• What does 'Participation' refer to in educational equality?

  Equal rights to participate in school activities
• What does 'Circumstance' imply regarding educational opportunity?

  Same socioeconomic background for all students
• What does 'Outcome' mean in the context of educational equality?

  Equal chance to succeed after school
• What are educational policies?

  • Plans and strategies by the government
  • Aimed directly at education and schools
  • Examples include various Education Acts
• What is the purpose of educational policies?

  To raise standards and create equality
• What issues do educational policies respond to?

  • Ensuring equality of opportunity
  • Selection and choice in schools
  • Control of education
  • Marketisation and privatisation
• What was the state of education in the UK before the 19th century?

  No state schools existed
• How did the Industrial Revolution affect education?

  Increased demand for an educated workforce
• When did schooling become compulsory for children in the UK?

  By 1880
• What was the impact of social status on education in 1880?

  Education quality depended on social status
• What is ascribed status?

  Status assigned at birth or involuntarily
• What is achieved status?

  Status achieved through merit and ability
• How were middle-class pupils educated differently?

  Received an academic curriculum for professions
• What type of education did working-class pupils receive?

  Basic literacy and numeracy for factory work
• What is meritocracy?

  • A social system with equal opportunity
  • Success based on individual abilities
  • Not determined by ascribed status
• What was the purpose of the 11+ exam in the Education Act (1944)?

  To determine schooling routes for pupils
• What were the three types of schools in the Tripartite System?

  Grammar, secondary modern, and technical schools
• What was the educational focus of grammar schools?

  Higher education and non-manual jobs
• What type of curriculum did secondary modern schools provide?

  Non-academic, practical curriculum
• What was the focus of technical schools?

  Technical skills for trades
• What were the evaluations of the Tripartite System?

  • Created inequalities between social classes
  • Required girls to achieve higher grades than boys
  • Perpetuated the idea of innate intelligence
• What evidence suggests about a child's learning environment?

  It greatly affects educational attainment
• What are the problems associated with the Education Reform Act (1988)?

  • Reproduction of inequality
  • League tables and funding formulas
  • Disadvantages for less popular schools
• Who argues that league tables reproduce inequalities?

  Ball and Whitty
• What do Ball and Whitty (1994) claim about league tables?

  They reproduce inequalities rather than remove them
• What is 'cream-skimming' in the context of education?

  • Good schools select high-achieving pupils
  • They avoid less-able pupils
  • This reinforces social class inequalities
• What is 'silt-shifting' in educational policy?

  • Good schools avoid less-able pupils
  • They maintain high league table positions
  • Poor schools must accept all students
• What is the impact of league tables on schools at the bottom?

  They must recruit less-able students
• How do middle-class parents have an advantage in school selection?

  Through economic and cultural capital