1997-2010 New Labour policies

• Introduced: 

  • Academies
  • Free childcare for every pre-school child
  • Sure Start (1999)
  • Tuition fees
  • EMA
  • Aim Higher
  • Healthy Schools
  • Every Child Matters
  • Numeracy and Literacy Strategy
• • Academies - a new type of school where a part of its funding is from a local business to solve the problems of underperforming schools. A school would use the money from the funding to get new teachers, rename the school and start new. 
• • Free childcare for every pre-school child - as all children were cared for for free, women were able to return to work (30 free hours). 
• • Sure Start (1999) - pre-school children could get early support, this support could improve the educational opportunities for children who come from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. There were Sure Start centres. Set up to support people for things like reading, parenting classes, behaviour management, how to write a CV, teaching a parent to read so that they can help their children. 
• • Tuition fees - they were means tested (you will only get something if you need it) which meant that it had the effect of making universities only available for people who could afford it. Pay to attend university. 
• • EMA - it was introduced to encourage students from a disadvantaged background to stay in school after they are 16. Lower income students would claim a weekly allowance and the aim of this is to keep you in education till post 16. You would get £35 to spend on bus fares, books and resources (anything needed to stay in school). Increased equality for all. 
• • Aim Higher - a new idea that wanted more participation in higher education from people from all backgrounds. They especially wanted this from people from disadvantaged backgrounds and minority groups. Encourages students from certain backgrounds to aim to go to further education like university. Aimed at the working class. 
• • Healthy Schools - Jamie Oliver influenced it. Thought that school food was unhealthy. Created more talk in schools around fitness and wellbeing. 
• • Every Child Matters - it offers support to parents and carers, providing protection to children. The principles are to be healthy, to stay safe, to enjoy and achieve, to make a positive contribution. It started in response to the death of Victoria Climbie who was murdered by her aunt and her partner (they were her carers). It brang different institutions to work together (police, school and hospital), this was to keep children safe and healthy. Made sure that there was safeguarding in play. 
• • Numeracy and Literacy Strategy - had to spend an hour a day on maths and english to increase the school and students achievement. Made sure that people did better with English and maths.
• Positives of the policies:

  • Sure Start - it did have a massive impact on the communities and families. 
  • Academies - it is going to improve it and increase the standards. 
  • Healthy schools - more healthy options in schools. 
  • Every Child Matters - children started to be noticed and it is still relevant. Started DBS checks. 
  • Numeracy and Literacy Strategy - benefits working class students because they won’t have the resources at home. 
• Positives of the policies:

  • EMA - benefits working classes because the money goes straight to the children who need it. Increased equality for all as the working class got the support that they needed. 
  • Tuition fees - funds the education system better
  • Aim higher - encouraged people to go to university, opened their eyes to it. 
  • Free childcare for every pre-school child - women are more likely to get back into the workplace, families can have two incomes. 
• Negatives of the policies:

  • Academies - students stay the same as they didn’t necessarily change, a new building can’t change how the students behave necessarily.
  • Healthy schools - students don’t necessarily want to change or eat healthy. Canteen foods are expensive. Parents found a way to get around it e.g. feeding their children through the gates.  
  • Every Child Matters - Jessica and Holly were murdered by Ian Huntly who was the caretaker in the school. Still examples where safeguarding wasn’t quite right. 
  • Numeracy and Literacy Strategy - there isn’t a disadvantage.
• Negatives of the policies:

  • Free childcare for every pre-school child - everyone gets it so it isn’t meeting needs, funding is going to be expensive, it is not means tested, and it costed the government a lot of money. 
  • Sure Start - they are open to everyone and the middle class is more likely to go as they are more likely to take advantage of them. They do not meet needs. Not targeting the people who need it most. 
• Negatives of the policies:

  • EMA - just because they stay in school they are not necessarily going to get the qualifications and they might not spend it correctly which can’t be checked. 
  • Tuition fees - working class can’t afford it and there is also a fear of debt (working class are more likely to have this). This creates inequality. 
  • Aim higher - it still doesn’t make university affordable for the working class, if parents have low aspirations there is going to be a clash and aim higher isn’t going to help the students as it won’t be useful.