Education policies- Marketisation

• Marketisation

  This means the changing internal processes of a school to operate more like a business, based on supply and demand. (for example, treating parents and students as consumers, target setting, performance-based pay, and league tables.)
• Privitisation in Education


  This means opening up aspects of education to private businesses such as staff, training, school finances, school management (academy chains), and exams.
• Parentocracy


  This means that a child's educational achievement has more to do with parental wealth/wishes than student ability. Parents can have more choice over where they send their children.
• Three features of Marketisation

  - Independance- allowing schools to run themselves to how they see fit.

  
  

  - Competition- making schools compete with each other for students.

  
  

  - Choice- giving customers (parents and students) more choice in where they go to school.
• Three elements of quality control

  - Ofsted inspections

  
  

  - Publication of performance tables (such as exam results)

  
  

  - National curriculum (baseline for what is taught)
• Evaluation of Privitisation in Education (Positives)


  1. More Efficient

  
  

  2. More Choice for Parents

  
  

  3. Profit-making might induce companies to support failing schools.
• Evaluation of Privitisation in Education (Negatives)


  1. Takes money from the education system.

  
  

  2. If businesses go out of business it leaves schools stranded.

  
  

  3. Less Equality
• Policies from the Conservative govt. 1979-1997 which promote Marketisation:


  - League Tables

  
  

  -Local management schools

  
  

  - Funding formula

  
  

  - Open Enrolment
• Policies from the Conservative govt. 1979-1997 which promote Raising Standards:


  - OFSTED

  
  

  - National Curriculum

  
  

  - National Testing
• Policies from the Labour Govt. 1997-2010 which promote Marketisation:


  - Business-sponsored academies

  
  

  - Specialist Schools
• Policies from the Labour Govt. 1997-2010 which promote Raising Standards:


  - Maximum class sizes for 5yrs- 7yrs

  
  

  - Building schools for the future

  
  

  - Education Action Zones

  
  

  - Business sponsored academies
• Policies from the Coalition Govt. 1997-2010 which promote Marketisation:


  - New Style Academies

  
  

  - Free Schools
• Policies from the Coalition Govt. 1997-2010 which promote Raising Standards:


  - Pupil Premium

  
  

  - English Baccalaureate

  
  

  - Reform of the National Curriculum

  
  

  - Reform of the Exam System

  
  

  - Tougher performance targets for schools
• Evaluation of Marketisation Policies and Raising Standards (Myth of Meritocracy)


  Parents do not have equal freedom to choose the school that their child attends due to the covert selection process, and postcode lotteries in catchment areas.

  Middle-class parents have much more freedom of choice due to their cultural capital, higher education and income.
• Evaluation of Marketisation Policies and Raising Standards (Educational Triage)


  Teachers tend to allocate more resources to the students who are on the C/D borderline in order to achieve 5 A*-C grades that are essential for league tables, thus ignoring those who are unlikely to achieve this.
• Evaluation of Marketisation Policies and Raising Standards (Dumbing Down)


  Due to the funding formula, schools need to regain and attract students in order to receive funding. This leads to the 'dumbing down' of teaching and standards in order to retain students who might leave if they are pushed too hard/ courses are too difficult.
• Evaluation of Marketisation Policies and Raising Standards (Reduced quality control)


  Ofsted is not as independent as it appears, with the government and politicians interfering with the process by changing the standards and goal posts.