1. Educational policy revision

2. What do you need to know? Specification:
The significance of educational policies including:
Policies of selection
Marketisation
Privatisation
Policies to achieve greater opportunity or outcome (gender, ethnicity, class)
The impact of globalisation on educational policy

3. What’s the point of policies?
To raise educational standards
Creating equality of opportunity in a meritocratic society – everyone should have the same chance of developing and earning qualifications, ensuring everyone has the same access to and chances of success in education.
Economic efficiency – develop talents of young people, improve the skills of the labour force
BUT… most policies actually create inequality and make it worse! Especially for particular groups e.g. class, ethnicity, gender…

4. Policies to improve equality of opportunity in access to education
The 1944 Tripartite System
Main aims
Selective education – to provide different education to different types of student
Equality of opportunity – ability not money to determine schooling for the first time
Details of the Act
Tripartite system 11+
3 Types of school
Evaluations
MC to grammar schools – still inequality
Lacked parity of esteem

5. Policies to improve equality of opportunity in access to education
1965 Comprehensives
Main aims
Equality of opportunity – one type of school for all pupils
Details of the act
Abolition of TP system
One type of school for each person
Evaluations
Lack of parental choice
Poor standards in some schools
Banding and streaming along class lines

6. Policies to improve equality of opportunity in access to education
The 1988 Education Act
Main aims
(Neoliberalism and The New Right)
To introduce free market principles (more competition) into the education system
to introduce greater parental choice and control over state education
Started the privatisation of education
Raising standards.
Details of the act
Marketisation and Parentocracy
League Tables
OFSTED
National Curriculum
Formula Funding
Evaluations
Competition did increase standards
Selection by mortgage
Cream skimming/ polarisation
MC more choice – cultural capital, skilled choosers….
Also criticisms of league tables – teaching to test

7. New Labour - 1997 Evaluations
Main aims
To respond to increased competition due to globalisation
Raising standards
Equality of opportunity
Increasing choice and diversity
Details of policies
Increased funding to education
Reduced class sizes, introduced literacy and numeracy hour
Academies
Sure Start
EMA
Tuition fees introduced for HE
Evaluations
Early academies rose standards in poor areas a lot
Generally better at improving equality of opportunity than the New Right
Parents liked sure start but it didn’t improve education (improved health)
Tuition fees put working class students off (connor et al)

8. 2010 The Coalition Government and the Conservative Government
Main aims
Same as the New Right
To reduce public spending on education due to the financial crisis.
Details of policies
Cut funding to education (Scrapped EMA)
Forced academisation
Free Schools
Pupil Premium
Evaluations
Standards have carried on raising
Academisation and Free schools are both ideological – no evidence they improve standards more than LEA schools
Free schools – advantage the middle classes/ duplicate resources
Pupil Premium – too early to say!

9. Policies on Gender
Gender – tripartite system was in favour of boys – girls had to get a higher mark to secure a place – benefittiing boys
Marketisation has created more competition, girls are now seen as desirable as they get higher exam results – league tables have improved opportunities for girls, SFP ect.
Boys are often seen as a liability now and prevent high-achieving girls from applying
Coursework – also helped girls achievement – girls generally are better at coursework and therefore works in their favour
GIST – (girls into science and technology) inspire girls to choose maths, physics and computing. WISE members attract, retain, develop and progress female talent in their companies.

10. Policies on Ethnicity
Assimilation policies – focussed on the need for pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds by helping with English and raising achievement
Sociologists may criticise this, as some ethnic minority students can already speak English, but they are still underachieving.
Multicultural education – valuing all cultures within the curriculum, raising self-esteem among ethnic minority pupils
 stone says it isn’t self-esteem that is the reason black pupils fail
 these policies don’t tackle institutional racism
Social inclusion policies
Monitoring exam results, E.A.L programmes. Race relations act – all schools must promote racial equality.

11. Questions to try (10 marks)