Social Policy
What did the 1944 Education Act intorduced?
This was the first act that introduced compulsary education for up to 14 years old. This also meant that all social classes now had access to education rather than kust the wealthier classes. This also intorduced the Tripartite system.
How many schools did the Tripartite system introduce?
This introduced 3 new types of secondary education. They were….
- Grammar schools for Academic pupils (Mostly middle class)
- Technical Schools
- Secondary Modern schools for everyone else (Mostly working class)
Why was the Tripartite system introduce?
The idea of this system was to reduce inequalities within the education system.
How was it decied what type of school students would go to when the tripartite system was introduced?
The way that they decided what type of school to go to was the 11+ exam. This was an IQ test that tested their abilities within different subjects. Those who achieved high on the test would go to the Grammar School whereas those who scored low would go to a Secondary Modern School.
What where the problems of the tripartite system?
1. For most pupils only 2 types of schools were available as technical schools were not often built due to the fact that they cost a lot to equipt
2. Grammar schools were seen as the most prestigious type of state education as this was the one that led to University and high paying jobs whereas Secondary modern Schools were seen as failures as they had failed previous exams.
3. Some pupils ended up in a Secondary Modern even though they had the ability to be in a Grammar school. This was because for girls the entry requirements were higher as they generally scored higher on the 11+ compared to boys.
4. The social class divide remained intact. Most grammar school places were taken by middle-class pupils. The mainly working-class pupils in secondary moderns were effectively labelled ‘failures’ and so lacked the means and motivation to succeed.
What did comperhensive schools abloish and what did this mean forp people?
This abolished the 11+ exam which meant that anyone could go to any school regardless of their ability
Why was the comprehenisve schooling system introduced?
The labour government at the time introduced this as there were still social class inequalities in the schooling system.
How where the new xomprehensive schools intoduced?
Comprehensive schools were introduced gradually depending on the individual local authority. However, there were still some Grammar Schools that never changed to a Comprehensive school.
What were the problems of the new comprehnesive system\\\/
1. This did not reduce social class inequality as admissions were largely based on geographical catchment areas which was mainly connected to social class
2. Many of the comprehensive schools organised their classes based on ability which meant that the higher classes were dominated by Middle class pupils
What did the Education Reform Act 1988 introduce?
This introduced marketisation policies to education which meant education was now ran more like a business rather than a a free service
What things did the Education Reform Act 1988 introduce to allow for competition?
- Ofsted: A way of ensuring there is consistency in schools
- Standardised Testing: Facilitates clear and fair competition
- League Tables: A way of ensuring there is consistency in schools
- Funding Formula (Voucher system): Schools receive money from government based on how many people and the types of people they attract
- Privatisation (where possible): This involves paying contractors to operate state education features, such as standardised testing and Ofsted
- Parental Choice: Choosing a school not limited to location or test results
- National Curriculum: Framework to ensure consistency in education
What were the problems associated with the Eduaction Reform Act 1988?
- Standardised Testing: There were concerns that there would be negative effects of regularly testing children and there were also concerns that instead of teaching children necessary things the teachers would just teach the test
- League tables: Schools would have incentive to manipulate these results as they are under pressure from the Marketisation Policies.
- League tables & Parental Choice: Middle class parents have the cultural capital to know how to use systems such as league tables. They also have the economic capital to move closer to a school if they need to so that they can secure a place at their desired school.