Conservative Educational Policy (1979-1997) In 1979, the Conservative leader Margaret Thatcher, was elected. The aims of the party were to: Develop an educational system which meets the needs of industry – make schooling more relevant to work Raise standards throughout Britain's schools and colleges.

The Education Reform Act: 1988 The 1988 Education Reform Act is the most important piece of educational legislation since the 1944 Education Act. The 1988 Act, established a NATIONAL CURRCULUM for all state schools in England and Wales, and NATIONAL system of TESTING and assessing.

The National Curriculum From the age of 5-16 Years, all pupils in state schools must study 3 core subjects- English, maths and science, and 7 foundation subjects. Pupils were tested in the core subjects (SAT’s), and results provided parents with information on which to judge the performance of schools.

Complete worksheet about The Education Reform Act Problems with SAT's...... Complete worksheet about The Education Reform Act

Marketisation This refers to the process of introducing ‘Market Forces’ into areas run by the state, such as the NHS or Education. The ERA created an ‘Education Market’ by: Reducing direct state control over education Increasing competition between school Increasing Parental Choice of schools.

League Tables Competition Ethos Reputation Facilities Publicity When you/your parent’s were ‘shopping’ for a school or college, what did you look for and why? League Tables Competition Ethos Reputation Facilities Publicity OFSTED Reports

Think about the word ‘marketisation’ and watch this video. http://www.aquinas.ac.uk/AboutUs/WhydosomanystudentswanttocometoAquinas Think about the word ‘marketisation’ and watch this video. For what reasons has this school made the video? What does the way this school has ‘marketed’ itself tell you about the school? What different selling points might different schools use and what can the school achieve from making such a video?

promote Marketisation Policies to promote Marketisation TASK: Try to think of anything which has been introduced to increase COMPETITION between schools…

Policies to promote Marketisation Publication of school League Tables Business sponsorship of schools Schools being able to opt out of LEA control Schools having to compete to attract pupils Ofsted inspection reports available for parents to look at when choosing school Turn to Page 7 in blue booklets

Q. What are the advantages and disadvantages of producing school league tables…..?

2016: Fundamental British Values According to Ofsted, 'fundamental British values' are: democracy. the rule of law. individual liberty. mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith.

Parentocracy Some would argue that marketisation produces INEQUALITY. Ball argues that marketisation creates ‘parentocracy’. Middle class parents are more advantaged as they have more economic & cultural capital, and are more able to take advantages of the choices available- e.g. move to better catchment areas.

New Labour Policies Since 1997 Labour governments since 1997 have sought to do the following: -Reduce Inequality in Education -Promote Diversity & Choice in Education

Compensatory Education CEP’s are government policies which are designed to raise the achievement levels of students who come from materially and culturally deprived family backgrounds (e.g. working class and some ethnic minority groups).

Compensatory Education After 1997, Labour introduced a number of different policies to reduce inequality in education: -Education Action Zones- providing certain areas with additional resources -Aim Higher Programme- To raise aspiration of groups of pupils who are under-represented in education -EMA-Payments to students from low-income backgrounds - Proposal of raising the school leaving age to 18, by 2015

Promoting Diversity & Choice Secondary schools were encouraged to apply for specialist status. By 2007, approx 85% of all secondary schools had become specialist status schools. It is argued that this offers parents greater choice, and raises standards of achievement, allowing schools to build on their strengths. Labour have encouraged the development of academies to raise achievement amongst mainly working-class pupils.

The National Literacy Strategy The National Literacy Strategy was introduced by the Labour government in 1997. It recognised that literacy standards in the UK had not improved since the 1940s and only 63% of 11 year olds were reaching the standard of English expected of them. It set a literacy target - that 80% of 11 year olds would reach a suitable standard in English by 2002.

Introduction of City Academies (2002) The Labour government revealed plans to introduce City Academies in 2002 as part of a five-year plan to improve education. City Academies are designed to improve inner city education by building new schools, introducing new technology and changing the ethos of schools. The scheme is controversial since schools will only get academy status if they raise £2 million from private funds.

Is it possible to have an education system where the same choice is freely available to all students? What are your opinions, write them on the post- it note and come and position yourself somewhere along the line. YES NO

The New Vocationalism Schools were producing young people who lacked the skills which were required by industry. This led to the development of the ‘NEW VOCATIONALISM’, which was the government involvement in youth training. -TRAINING SCHEMES (YTS’s) -VOCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS (GNVQ’s)

Quick Recap: What was the COMPREHENSIVE system? Why was this introduced? When did VOCATIONAL EDUCATION become introduced into schools? What is the NEW VOCATIONALISM? Give 2 examples of VOCATIONAL courses which this introduced Give 3 criticisms of the New Vocationalism