1.6 - Social Policy and Education

• What was the 1944 Butler Education Act?

  • proposed by richard butler
  • made education compulsory up until age 14 regardless of class
• What was the Tripartite system?

  • made up of 3 different schools
  • 1 - Grammar schools
  • 2 - Technical schools
  • 3 - Secondary modern schools
  • All students at the age of 11 had to take an IQ test to determine what school they went too
  • government believed the view IQ was innate and could be scientifically determined
• What were the issues with the tripartite system?

  • there were only 2 choices as there was limited technical schools
  • w/c who went to secondary schools were seen as 'failures' and denied opportunities
  • still a divide - only a few GIRL grammar schools
• What was introduced in 1965-1979?

  • comprehensive schools - social dem influences
  • scrapped the 11+ tests to make school more meritocratic
  • school facilities were upgraded, larger curriculum and more sporting activities
  • grammar schools remained
• What were the issues with comprehensive schools?

  • admissions were based on who was geographically mobile and these were mainly the m/c
  • schools were organised into streams and m/c tended to be in higher streams
  • mixed ability sets brought the m/c down
  • NR criticised for bad results and a lack of discipline
• What was introduced in 1979-1997?

  • new right had an impact on education
  • believed in the use of free market in school
  • encouraged marketisation of schools
  • consumers (pupils/parents) would find the perfect product (schools)
  • producers would promote the school to attract the best pupils
• What was also introduced in 1979-1997?

  • vocational training and unemployment schemes
  • NR believed the reason for high unemployment in the UK was due to a lack of work skills being learnt in education
  • introduced 'new vocationalism' - had work training and qualifications at the same time
• What are the criticisms of 'New Vocationalism'?

  • neo marxist - Finn believes that it provided cheap labour for companies as students were paid less and did a lot of work
  • reduced unemployment rates
  • Paul Cohen - argues that it gives positive mindsets about work to students so they do not resent when older
• What was introduced in 1988?

  • Education Reform Act - NR ideas
  • 1 - Marketisation
  • 2 - Testing
  • 3 - National Curriculum
  • 4 - League Tables
  • 5 - Diversifying School Choice
  • 6 - Private Education
• What are the criticisms of the 1988 Education Reform Act?

  • concerns were expressed over the pressure damaging students
  • very few places in the best schools since they were very popular
  • Ball - m/c parents use their cultural capital, money and resources to find the best schools
  • led to 'cream skimming' - schools would focus on the highest performing students and neglect those who needed help
• What was introduced in 1997-2010?

  • new labour influences on education
  • specialist schools - increase in schools who specialised in a specific subject and the aim was to increase choice and allow students to excel in their best subjects
• What two schemes were introduced under vocational education in 1997-2010?

  1 - Apprenticeships

  2 - Flexibility Programme - those in KS4 could go to college twice a week to learn the work skills needed
• What was also introduced in 1997-2010?

  social democratic influences

  1. Apprenticeships - companies should help state education
  2. Sure Start - compensatory education and help children start
  3. Educational Maintenance Allowance - those in education age 16-18 could get £30 a week
  4. Private Schools
  5. Nursery Education - free for children
  6. Vocational Education
  7. Higher education - to push students
• What are the criticisms of the social democratic influences?

  • Tomlinson - m/c has gained the most from these policies
  • NL have been criticised for introducing a greater privatisation of education
  • SD have resulted in deprivation of specific groups - Ball says girls exceed in education but boys are left behind
• What was formed in 2010?

  • coalition policies between conservatives and liberal democrats
  • Michael Gove - minister
• What did the 2010 coalition policies do?

  • academies and free schools - had been aimed at failing schools to help tackle deprivation and inequality of opportunity
  • free school - when religious groups, teachers or parents could set up new schools with their own ethos and curriculum
• What were the reforms to the curriculum in the coalition policies?

  1. A-level changes - 'toughned' up a levels by removing the opportunities to resit and seperating AS from A level
  2. New National Curriculum - had a strong emphasis on traditional learning styles and content
  3. English Baccalaureate (EBac) - certain academic subjects had to be passed to gain qualifications. These were maths, english, science, history and a language
• What were the reforms to vocational education in the coalition policies?

  1 - Educational Maintenance Allowance - this was removed and used to upgrade the schools

  2 - Change in tuition fees from £3000 - £9000
• How did the coalition policies compensate for disadvantages in school?

  • pupil premium involved extra resources for schools related to the number of pupils who were from low income backgrounds and had FSM
• How did the coalition policies compensate for disadvantages in higher education?

  • could get maintenance grants for cost of living for university students
  • students were not required to pay anything back till they had earned £21,000
• What was the evaluation of the coalition policies?

  1. national union of teachers argues free schools and academies reduce the budget available for other schools
  2. parental choice was limited in many areas
  3. removal of educational maintenance allowance led to decrease in students staying in education
  4. 53% of teachers say pupil premium was not spent on the pupils
• How has globalisation of education affected UK?

  • Increased competition for jobs abroad meant the New Labour government increased spending on education in order to try and give children skills to make them more competitive in a global labour market.
  • Economic globalisation - establishment on global ICT companies such as Google and Apple. Such powerful companies have an impact in writing the curriculum and our exam papers
• How has globalisation of education had an effect on UK?

  • Increasing migration - education is now more multicultural and has led to schools teaching all six religions in school. Led to an increase in faith schools
  • Increasing cultural globalisation - has led to the questioning of the national curriculum as it is ethnocentric