Coalition government policies (2010+)

• 2010-2015


  Conservative led-coalition government
• 2015 onwards


  Conservative government
• aims


  -aiming to free schools from dead hand of the state

  -through marketisation & privitisation
• academies > 2010


  -from 2010 all schools encouraged to leave local authority control & become academies

  -funding taken from local authority budgets & given to academies
• academies by 2012


  -over half of secondary schools converted to academies

  -some academies run by private educational businesses & funded directly by state

  -Coalition government removed focus on reducing inequality
• free schools


  -funded directly by state

  -set up & run by parents, teachers, faith organisations/businesses

  -supporters claim they improve educational standards by taking control away from state & giving power to parents

  -claim to give opportunity to create new school if unhappy
• fragmented centralisation - Ball


  -Ball argues promoting academies & free schools led to increased fragmentation & increased centralisation of control over educational provision
• fragmentation 


  -the comprehensive system being replaced by patchwork of diverse provision

  -much of it involving private providers

  -leads to greater inequality of opportunities
• centralisation of control


  -central government alone has power to allow/require schools to become academies / allow free schools to be set up

  -schools are funded directly by central government

  -their rapid growth greatly reduced role of elected local authorities in education