The Education Act (1988)

• Main aims

  1. To introduce free market principles (more competition) into the education system
  2. To introduce greater parental choice and control over state education
  3. Raise standards in education
• Details of the act

  OFSTED - to regulate and inspect schools
• Details of the act

  Marketisation and Parentocracy - schools compete for pupils and parents are like the consumers
• Details of the act

  National Curriculum - ensures all schools are teaching the same basic subjects
• Details of the act

  League tables - So parents can see how well schools are doing and make a choice
• Details of the act

  Formula funding - Funding based on the number of pupils - which encourages schools to raise standards to increase demand
• Negative evaluation

  Cream skimming - the best schools tended to pick the best students who were predominantly middle class
• Negative evaluation


  The middle class had more effective choice - because of their higher levels of cultural capital
• Negative evaluation

  League tables have been criticised for encouraging to teaching to test
• Positive evaluation


  Competition did increase standards - Results gradually improved throughout the 1990s
• Positive evaluation

  Selection by mortgage - the house prices in the catchment areas of the best schools increased, this priced out poorer parents