Full Education Topic

• Types of schools


  • State schools
  • Private schools
  • Alternative provision
• State schools


  Schools which are funded by the government
• Private/Independent schools


  Schools where students pay fees to attend, they can be day schools or boarding schools but they are independent of the regulations and conditions which apply to state funded schools
• Pupil Referral Units (PRUs)

  A type of school that caters for children who can't attend a mainstream school, often due to permanent exclusion, emotional/behavioural difficulties, severe bullying, pregnancy or being young mothers
• Foundation and voluntary schools

  Funded by the local authority but have more freedom to change the way they do things, sometimes supported by representatives from religious groups
• City Technology Colleges (CTCs)


  All-ability secondary schools based in urban centres and geared towards science, maths, technology and preparing students for the world of work
• Grammar schools


  State secondary schools that select their pupils by means of an examination taken by children at age 11, known as the "11-plus"
• Special Education Schools


  Schools catering for students who have special educational needs due to learning difficulties, physical disabilities or behavioral problems
• Public schools


  Long established, fee paying schools that also require an entrance exam to attend, e.g. Eton and Cheltenham Ladies College
• Academy schools


  State-funded schools in England which are directly funded by the Department for Education but independent of local authority control, they do not have to follow the National Curriculum but do have to ensure a broad and balanced curriculum
• Free schools


  Funded by the government but not run by the local authority, they have more control over how they do things and are 'all-ability' schools that cannot use academic selection processes, they are run on a not-for-profit basis and can be set up by groups like charities, universities, independent schools, community and faith groups, teachers, parents, businesses
• International schools

  Schools which cater to the international community and follow an international curriculum such as the Internal Baccalureate, International Primary Curriculum and iGCSE's
• Home schooling


  Learning outside of the public or private school environment, often involving being out in the community and learning through interactions with other homeschooling families
• Faith schools

  Have to follow the national curriculum, but can choose what they teach in religious studies and may have different admissions criteria and staffing policies to state schools
• Single sex schools


  Schools which select based on gender, being 100% male or female, although many become co-ed at 6th form level
• State boarding schools


  Where you pay for boarding and the education is free, the government pays for the education as it would at any other state school in England
• Stages of education


  • Early Years and Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception)
  • Primary School (Key Stage 1 and 2)
  • Secondary School (Key Stage 3 and 4)
  • Further Education (Sixth Form and College)
  • Higher Education (Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate)
• Human capital


  The stock of knowledge, skills, values, habits and creativity that makes someone an economic asset to society
• Hidden curriculum


  The informal learning processes that happen in school, teaching students the norms and values of society
• Particularistic values


  Values and rules which only apply to that particular person in a given situation (e.g. home)
• Universalistic values


  Values and rules which apply to all members of society equally
• Functions of education (Functionalism)

  • Socialisation and social solidarity
  • Bridge between family and society
  • Developing human capital
  • Role allocation
• Ideological State Apparatus


  A social institution whose main role is to pass on the dominant ideology of the ruling class
• Repressive State Apparatus


  A social institution whose role it is to enforce the dominant ideology by force or threat of force, e.g. the police
• Correspondence principle


  The ways in which the education system mirrors the world of work, e.g. hierarchy, punctuality, hidden curriculum
• Aims of education policy in the UK


  • Economic efficiency - developing skills for the labour force
  • Raising educational standards - competing in a global education market
  • Creating equality of educational opportunity
• Aspects of educational equality (Gillborn and Youdell)


  • Equality of access
  • Equality of circumstance
  • Equality of participation
  • Equality of outcome
• Policies that increased equality in education

  • 1988 Education Reform Act - National Curriculum
  • 1965 Comprehensivisation Act
  • Schools Admissions Code
  • Pupil Premium - compensatory education
• Types of selection in education

  • Selection by ability - entrance tests
  • Selection by aptitude - talents
  • Selection by faith
• Open Enrolment Policies (OEP)


  Parents can apply to any state school, in any area and if the school is under subscribed they must take the child
• Covert selection


  Backdoor social selection to cherry pick students, discouraging parents of poorer students from applying in the first place
• Arguments in favour of selection

  • Allows 'high-flyers' to benefit
  • Specialised and focused teaching can take place
• Arguments against selection


  • Late developers don't benefit
  • Mixed ability fosters social cohesion
  • Reduced risk of labelling and therefore SFP
  • HA can act as a inspiration to other students
• Open Enrolment Polices (OEP)


  Parents can apply to any state school, in any area and if the school is under subscribed they must take the child. However over-subscribed schools fill up quickly so many parents don't get their 1st choice.
• Over Subscription Policies - Priority to

  • Children in care
  • Pupil premium
  • Siblings (at discretion of LA)
  • Catchment area – closest first
  • Faith
• Covert Selection


  Backdoor social selection to cherry pick students. Discouraging parents of poorer students from applying in the first place through high uniform prices, making literature hard to understand, not advertising in poorer areas. Faith schools require a letter from spiritual leader to gain insight to the potential students family and commitment to both the faith and the school ethos.
• Marketisation


  The process of where by services like education are pushed towards operating like a business based on supply and demand. Students are considered consumers rather than pupils.
• Three features of marketisation

  • Independence – allowing schools to run themselves 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 examination results
  • National curriculum – baseline for what is taught
• Evaluation of Privatisation of Education - Positives


  • More efficient
  • More choice for parents