New Right

• Neo-liberalism


  Economic policy, less state intervention and privatisation of companies
• Neo-conservatism


  Belief in traditional values in social institutions (family, education)
• NR Beliefs

  • Schools should be ran like a business > compete to attract consumers with products they want
  • State schools don't compete for consumers because they're ran by the state = poor standards
  • Should socialise students into shared values providing sense of national identity
• NR belief on achieving better standards

  • Competition between schools for results
  • Increased choice for parents
  • Increased involvement of private enterprise in education
• 1988 Education Reform Act

  • National Curriculum
  • Formula funding
  • Standardised testing
  • Parental choice and open enrolment
• Application to contemporary education

  • Standardised testing throughout school life
  • Development of education markets extending from early years to higher education
  • Increased privatisation of education
  • Wider range of schools
• Evaluations

  • Marketisation has been dominant approach to education
  • Introduced selection policies that disadvantage certain social groups
  • Gerwitz and Ball = competition between schools benefit middle class > use cultural and economic capital to gain access to desirable schools
  • Marxists = education imposes culture of ruling class not "national identity" as NR claim
• Chubb and Moe

  • Disadvantaged groups have been badly served by state education failing to create equal opportunities
  • State education fails to produce pupils with skills needed for economy
  • Private schools deliver higher quality education answerable to paying consumers