sociology: education 🏫

• Universalistic Judgement

  Being judged on the basis of meritocracy such as via examinations, qualifications, skills, suitability across the whole of the cohort
• Particularistic Judgement


  A judgement based on the basis of your affective relationships with people in a group. For example, parents think their children are fantastic. This is not based on rationality, but just because we love the child
• Value Consensus


  A shared culture, agreement on what is important. Associated with the work of Talcott Parsons who believes that the two central values what we agree on in education is that the system should offer the 'value of achievement' and an 'equality of opportunity'
• Vocational


  Related to the world of work
• Role Allocation


  Davis and Moore's concept that the functionally most important jobs should go to the most intelligent people in society
• Social Solidarity


  Durkheim concept that argues that the role of the school is to bond people from lots of different social backgrounds into a united whole. He argues that the best way to do this is via teaching a common language, history and teaching MFL
• Correspondence principle


  The view of Bowles and Gintis that the structure and social relationships in school are mirrored in the workplace. For example, punctuality is expected both at school and in the workplace
• Achieved Status


  A position in society gained through their own efforts, rather than being born into it
• Ascribed Status


  A position in society which the result of fixed characteristics given at birth, such as gender or class position
• Citizenship


  A status bestowed on those who are full members of a community. All who possess the status are equal with respect to the rights and duties with which the status is endowed
• Consensus


  Agreement in society about its norms and values. Associated with Functionalism
• Formal Curriculum


  Consists of the courses, lessons, and learning activities students participate in, as well as the knowledge and skills educators intentionally teach to students
• Education


  The process of giving and receiving knowledge, generally associated with contemporary society with schools and universities
• Inclusion


  Including all that can be accommodated in the secondary school including those with hearing loss or being partially sighted. This has positive outcomes as it develops social and academic skills which may not be encouraged in special schools
• Meritocracy


  A system in which everyone is seen as having an equal opportunity to succeed. Success is based on ability and effort, not on social class, gender or ethnicity
• Academy


  Often a failed school, taken over by central government, in partnership with private sponsorship such as businesses or churches. The aim of their creation was to raise standards. Since widened to include 'outstanding' schools to opt out of LEA control
• Comprehensive


  A secondary school that educates children regardless of ability, social class, gender and ethnicity under one roof. The schools were introduced from 1965 onwards as a response to the fact that the selective tripartite system was not seen to be meritocratic. Nowadays, this encompasses, Free Schools, Faith Schools, Academies, LEA schools etc.
• Compulsory State Education


  In Britain, state education was first made compulsory in the late 19th C (for children up to the age of ten) this has now been extended to all up to the age of 18 (2013)
• Educational Reform


  Changes in relation to state education in a given country
• The Eleven Plus


  Is an examination administered to some students in England and Northern Ireland in their last year of primary education, which governs admission to grammar schools and other secondary schools which use academic selection
• Free Schools


  A free school is a school in England funded by the taxpayer, non-selective and free to attend, but not controlled by a local authority. Free schools were introduced by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition following the 2010 general election making it possible for parents, teachers, charities and businesses to set up their own schools. These are set up when parents are not happy with local educational provision or when parents want to tailor the curriculum to suit a particular need
• Further Education


  is post-compulsory education at pre-degree level, which may include (the opportunity to take) qualifications also available at the level of compulsory schooling
• Grammar School


  In short, they are schools which focus on providing an academic education based on selection by ability, typically through an entrance test at the age of 11
• Higher Education


  Education beyond high school, esp. at a college or university
• Home Education


  Also, called home schooling or home learning, this refers to teaching children at home rather than at school, usually by parents or by private tutors. At present 60,000 are home educated in the UK
• Independent School


  A small proportion of the children attend schools in which their parents pay for, known. as 'independent' because they exist outside state education provision. For example, they do not have to teach the 'National Curriculum', nor make their students sits SATS
• Marketisation


  The policy of bringing market forces (such as competition, supply and demand) into education and other areas. For example, the introduction of School League Tables put schools in direct completion with each other and allowed parents to use parentocracy and make informed choices about the best school in the locality
• National Curriculum


  Subjects and subject content that must be studied by all children in state schools in an attempt to standardise educational provision
• OFSTED


  (Office for Standards in Education) The government agency given the task of monitoring the quality of schools and teachers in the UK
• Pupil Premium


  Additional funding granted for state funded schools in English to raise the attainment of disadvantaged student. Groups that are included are those who parents have been unemployed in any of the previous 6 years, those in care, those adopted, and those in the armed forces. At present these vary between £300 to £2,345
• School League Tables


  These measure school performance data. This is statistical information showing how well pupils in England have done in public examinations taken at key points during their school careers
• National Testing (SATS)


  Standard Assessment Tests an assessment method used at the end of each Key Stage of schooling at 7, 11 and 16 and 18
• Selective Education


  A way of recruiting pupils to a school, based on a form of selection. For example, pupils may be selected on the basis of their performance at an entrance exam, or their parents' ability to pay annual school fees
• State Funded School


  Schools that receive funding from Local Education Authorities or the government direct
• Special School


  Schools that specialise in educating children with disabilities
• Student Tuition Fees


  These were introduced in 1998 (£1,000) and upped in 2006 to £3,000 and now stand at £9,250. (2017|) There is real concern that these fees may discourage the working class to attend university
• The Tripartite System


  Introduced as part of the Butler Act, it allowed parents to send their children either to a grammar school (by passing the 11+) a Secondary Modern (for all those who failed the 11+) or a technical school (vocational based education)