EDUCATIONAL POLICY DEBATES

 Much depends on the ideology of the ruling party.

THE POLITICAL PARTIES

Labour tried to reduce inequalities in the sixties with comprehensives, and in the seventies by tackling gender, ethnicity and disability.
Conservatives have tried to train people for jobs, raise standards through the National Curriculum, testing and encouraging a 'market' in education. Since 1997 Labour has continued much of the Conservative agenda.

SELECTIVE OR COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOLS

 The 1944 Education Act introduced free secondary schooling for all. Children had an 11 plus exam and went to grammar, technical or secondary modern schools. By the '90's, most children were in comprehensive schools.

Educational and Social Arguments for Comprehensive Schools:

  • 11-plus was a poor predictor of later achievement.
  • Many children's' talents wasted.
  • Labelling failures may be self-fulfilling prophesies.
  • Social class divisions were reinforced and continued in the workplace.
  • Arguments against Comprehensive Schools
  • Social class divisions continue where schools recruit from the local area and there are distinct middle and working class places.
  • Streaming and banding had similar effects to separate selective schools.
  • The grammar school was a means of upwards mobility for working class bright children.

SCHOOL TO WORK: EDUCATION AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING

Both parties wanted a more skilled and productive workforce, as un/semi-skilled demand fell.

Conservatives tried to encourage employer involvement through the now disbanded training and enterprise councils. There's disagreement as to how specific vocational training should be as needs change so rapidly, but gnvq's were introduced in 1995.

THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM AND TESTING

Since 1998 government has taken much power at the expense of local authorities. Through the National Curriculum, the government states what will be taught. In 1999 Labour dictated how many hours spent on literacy and numeracy. There's more testing with more government rules, all published in league tables.

Callaghan, (labour) started the great debate on standards and vocational training. Thatcher, as education minister, shut many grammar schools. New Labour, has extended the role of private sector in education.

THE EXPANSION OF HIGHER EDUCATION

HE students doubled in the 1990's. Increasing mature, female and ethnic, from the working class without A levels. University funding was not increased, tuition fees introduced and grants mostly abolished. Dropout rates increased, especially for non-traditional students, and there were fears of falling standards.

MARKET FORCES

S. Ball (1996) said the introduction of market forced to education involves:

  • Schools recruiting outside LEA catchment areas.
  • League tables for parental choice.
  • Competition between schools for good pupils.
  • Funding of schools based on pupil numbers.
  • Schools like businesses, with budgets which they spend on what they need.
  • The government encourages diversity, e.g. schools can specialize in technology, arts etc. More religious schools have been state funded.

Is there choice?


Ball doubts it. Popular schools choose good and exclude 'difficult' pupils. Middle class make better choices as they have:

  • Ecomonic capital, cars for journey to school and carers to collect them.
  • Cultural capital, knowing how to asses info to make choices (Ball is using Bourdieu's concept of cultural capital).
  • Social capital, the contacts to 'work the system' and win appeals.
  • Independent schools provide choice for richer parents. They do not usually provide education for profit, so market forces are not the only influence on them.

Next