social policy

• New Right


  Their aim was to create more equality of opportunity and increase choice and diversity for consumers. Increasing competition will raise the standard of education for all which will solve the skills shortage and youth unemployment in the country
• New Vocationalism

  Rising unemployment devils due to the schools failing to teach appropriate work skills to young people. Teachers were encouraged to focus on skills that were required for the workplace which will increase business competitiveness. Youth training schemes were introduced in 1983 which was a one year training scheme for school leavers that combined work experience and education to gain employable skills. New vocational qualifications were introduced examples include child care, retail and customer service. These were qualifications for particular occupations and by 1990 around 170 had been established. General national vocational qualifications provided a vocational alternative to traditional qualifications. They were like a levels and GCSE's and had equal status. Included health and social care and travel and tourism. There were also modern apprenticeships which was training our work partnered with part time college attendance
• Shultz argued that the human capital theory meant that if the government invested in each individual it would result in maximum possible contribution to society which would encourage economic growth
• According to Marx


  The youth training schemes had a hidden agenda. They restricted the number of workers joining union trades which reduced the bargaining powers of the workforce and also reduced the wage of young workers
• According to Marx


  The government paid employees for training people on youth training schemes but these trainings were used as a cheap source of labour and this scheme helped reduce embarrassing unemployment statistics because they weren't classed as unemployed if in the scheme
• According to Marx


  Unemployment was due to a lack of jobs. The schemes would help to lower employment expectations on the working class so that they know their place making them an easily exploited workforce
• Marketisation


  The introduction of business principles to the education system. Children have different abilities interests and needs that couldn't fully be met by one school therefore the government wanted to extend choice for parents by diversifying the secondary school types. City technology colleges were financed by the central government and private industries are focused on mark science and technology. These were mainly in inner cities and specialised in either languages or technology. They were called colleges to give you a sense of prestige and importance. Grant maintained schools were funded directly by the central government and didn't have to listen to the local authority meaning they were free to select some of their intakes on the basis of ability. They had interviews to determine enrolment because they specified in one subject or area. Formula funding was financing based on the number of pupils. The successful schools were awarded and attracted more pupils whereas the less successful schools were given an incentive to improve
• Chubb and Moe agreed with marketization of schools because with one another in an open market for customers which encouraged successful schools to grow and raise standards
• Gerwirtz's three groups of parents


  • Skilled choosers who are strongly motivated to seek out the best schools for their children and had the necessary skills to do so
  • Semi skilled choosers who are just as concerned to get the best possible level of education but didn't have the same level of screening as the privileged ones
  • Disconnected choosers who weren't involved in their children's education and usually pick the closest school to where they live
• National curriculum


  The government told teachers what to teach and told them to provide regular tests. There are three core subjects which was maths english and science and seven foundation subjects. There were tests for pupils aged 7, 11 and 14 which assessed the curriculum, teachers and schools. They put key skills at the centre of the curriculum and ensure the old students learn technology which raised the standard in old schools and meant that the UK was competing with Europe
• Durkheim argued that the national curriculum encouraged pupils to share a common value system under hidden curriculum teaches good habits such as time keeping, obedience and diligence through the school regime. The national curriculum help serving social solidarity and enjoys cohesion, stability and equality within society
• Private and independent schools

  Set their own curriculum which results in inequality as a working class students are unable to access subjects like Greek and Latin
• The national curriculum was established


  With too much political control and not enough concerns for the needs of pupils. It limits people's access to subjects that challenge the status quo like social sciences because it prevents a revolution
• The tests are tiered according to ability

  A disproportionate percentage of working class and ethnic minority pupils are placed into lowers tier groups which creates inequality as they access a restricted curriculum
• New Labour

  favour change and wanted to increase equality and opportunity for all. They continued some new right ideas because they like diversity and choice but also raise the sentence for competition on choice which would promote economic growth
• Education action zones and excellence in cities


  Set up in 1998 to raise a motivation and attainment levels of underachieving pupils in deprived, low income, inner city areas. They gave extra resources to fund breakfast clubs, homework clubs and summer schemes to boost educational achievement. By 2003 there were 73 education action zone and were given 1,000,000 lbs each to invest in education. They were funded by the central government with additional funding coming from local businesses. Excellence in cities replaced education accident zone and had specialists programmes for gifted peoples. They implemented technology and were more effective than education actions are improvement student achievement rates
• Flaherty argued that children raised in poverty have the lowest levels of education attainment and this got steadily widens throughout the years of compulsory education. Therefore education action zones can close the gap
• Trowler argues


  Education action zones and excellence in cities reduces inequality in educational opportunity
• Trowler argues


  Changes in the education system cannot compensate for social inequality in the wider society for example poverty and deprivation
• The people who benefited from the gifted and talented scheme

  Were disproportionately female and of white origin and middle class
• Academies


  State funded schools but were independent from the local authorities, meaning they had more freedom in how they were run because they could adapt to the curriculum. had different term times and school hours. New Labour introduced academies to replace the failing comprehensive schools in inner cities and low-income areas. Its aim was to drive up educational standards and enable greater choice and diversity in schools. the Central government would contribute £25 million for each Academy. They had more freedom over their finances, curriculum, length of time and school days meaning they also didn't need to follow national pay and didn't need to have qualified teachers
• Chubb and Moe argued that academies would compete with each other in an open market for customers so successful schools will grow and unsuccessful schools would need to improve and survive
• The improvement in results of academies

  Is due to the academies taking on fewer students. because they're more selective with the students there the results are higher
• Academies


  Fracture the state education system and openly build to privatization which reduces the chance of equality of opportunity
• The ability of local schools to provide support services for schools


  Is weakened by the money being lost through the academies funds
• Expansion of further and higher education

  New Labour in to widen access to further and higher education and increase the number of working class children attending them. The number of children above the age of 16 in higher education grew between the 1990s and 2000s. 2.23 million attended further education in 1990 compared to 5.05 million in 2003. EMA was introduced as an incentive to encourage attendance students were eligible for £30 a week if they attended college and on time
• Shultz's human capital theory argued that if the government invested in students, they would be able to maximize the possible contribution to society and encourage economic growth because they equip individuals with essential knowledge and skills to make this happen
• According to the young cohort studies

  Participation in further education varies by social class for example 85% of 16 year olds in further education were from higher social classes
• The class gap in university participation

  Is widening for example 79% of young people were from higher class backgrounds whereas 15% of young people from manual backgrounds were in higher education
• Labour introducing tuition fees and scrapping maintenance funds in 1998

  Reduced participation from low income backgrounds
• Coalition govt


  They wanted to improve literacy, raise pupil attainment, extend parental choice, and three teachers from bureaucracy walls closing the widening gap between the rich and poorest
• Free schools and technical academies

  Encourage parents comments teachers and charity success set up their own free schools which continued marketization of education. It intended to offer an alternative to local authority control which is what they saw as a monopoly. They could design their own curriculum as long as maths, English on science was being told. This increased parental choice, diversity and raised educational standards. All schools were given the right to turn into academies. New technical academies were introduced which were funded by the state but were largely independent. Students could do vocational courses from the age of 14 which made it so there was more freedom over the curriculum and provided more training for teenagers suited the needs of the economy
• Tomlinson suggests


  Marketization of education has increased rather than decreased inequalities in education
• The success of some schools in the educational market

  Meant that they were oversubscribed. As a result there was able to select their own customers which was mainly middle class students
• With league tables based on key stage tests


  There is considerable pressure on teachers to teach to the test
• Pupil premium


  A financial incentive where the schools gave extra money for taking in disproportionately more pupils from poor homes. This was designed to help disadvantaged children at school to expect to use the money to boost their attainment rates among poorer children. This addressed current class inequalities
• Flaherty argued that children raised in poverty have the lowest levels of education attainment and this got steadily widens throughout the years of compulsory education. Therefore pupil premium can close the gap
• Trowler argues


  Pupil premium reduces inequality in educational opportunity
• Reform in higher and further education


  The universities are essential for building a strong and innovative economy. Therefore they created more unique places to help foster stronger links between unis and college. they reformed the Higher Education Funding. The limit on tuition fees was raised from £3000 to £9000 but students paid nothing upfront and only started paying back after they earned £21k
• The fear of debt prevents working class students


  From going into higher education due to high tuition fees