The New Right role of education

• The new right created an education market in the United Kingdom from 1988 through introducing league tables and formula funding among other education polices
• The new right believes in

  • marketisation (schools competing like businesses)
  • parentocracy (parental choice)
• They are known for introducing league tables, GCSE’s and OFSTED into the UK as part of the education reform act 1988
• The new right : underlying principles

  1. Lowering taxation and reducing government spending
  2. introduction of free market principles into more social life traditionally paid for by the government (e.g. education and health service)
  3. an emphasis on individual freedom responsibility (they’re against the welfare state)
  4. a strong state where law and order are concerned (e.g. right realist policies)
  5. pro-tradition - they support the traditional married nuclear family
• New Right Education polices

  • Created an “education market” - schools were run like businesses - competing with each other
  • Parents were given the choice (parentocracy) over which school they send their children to rather than being limited to the local school in there catchment area (this lead to establishment of league tables)
• New Right Education Policies 


  Schools should teach subjects that prepare pupils for work, hence education should be aimed at supporting economic growth
• New Right Education Policies


  The state was to provide framework in order to ensure that schools were teaching the same thing and transmitting shared values. (National Curriculum)