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Do Now. Which policies go under which heading ? Which policies benefit m/c and w/c? Which policies do the following... reduce inequality, improve achievement, meritocracy, provide more choice, Increase marketisation , improve vocational training.
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Do Now • Which policies go under which heading? • Which policies benefit m/c and w/c? • Which policies do the following... • reduce inequality, • improve achievement, • meritocracy, • provide more choice, • Increase marketisation, • improve vocational training.
Education Policy Coalition Government (2010- present) An attempt to improve education by making schools and colleges compete for students in an 'education market'. Key policies: 1988 Education Reform Act, Specialist School status, Academies.
Academies • Academies are publicly funded schools which operate outside of local authority control. The government describes them as independent state-funded schools. Essentially, academies have more freedom than other state schools over their finances, the curriculum, and teachers' pay and conditions. • A key difference is that they are funded directly by central government, instead of receiving their funds via a local authority. In addition, they receive money which would previously have been held back by the local authority to provide extra services across all schools, such as help for children with special educational needs.
What is the government's vision for academies? • The coalition wants all schools to have the chance to become academies, including primary and special schools, as part of an "education revolution". The government says it aims to raise standards for all children, narrow the attainment gap between the most and least advantaged, and create a "world-beating system".
What perspective does this link to? • The New Right- they are in favour of any policy which moves the power into the hands of schools, because they argue that this will increase standards and give a better choice to parents. However, moving the curriculum (what will be taught) into the hands of schools goes against their idea that the national curriculum should teach shared values- there is no guarantee of this if each school is teaching something different (particularly the case for religious schools).
What perspective does this link to? • New Labour- The first academies were created by New Labour, but the policy was slightly different. The academies had sponsors (companies, universities, charities) and they tended to be in deprived areas. They are in favour of policies which try to address inequality in society, which academies may do.
What are the potential problems with academies? • Labour and the big classroom teachers' unions are the chief critics. Labour says the changes will benefit more privileged neighbourhoods and that the best schools will be able to "suck the best teachers and the extra money", leaving those left under local authority being regarded as second best. • Critics also say that the ability of local councils to provide extra services for schools such as help for children with special educational needs will be weakened if a lot of schools in an area become academies.
What are the potential problems with academies? • The NUT (National Union of Teachers) said the move could spell the end of state-provided education and the NASUWT (National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers) that it could "segregate and fragment communities". • There have also been fears that the changes will give too much freedom to faith schools or fundamentalist agendas - for example that they would allow the teaching of Creationism. These have been dismissed by the Education Secretary Michael Gove. He says to reach the necessary "funding agreement" with the government; a school will have to show that its curriculum is broad and balanced.
Free Schools • Free schools are schools which will be set up by groups of parents, teachers, charities, and trusts, religious and voluntary groups. They will be set up as academies and will be funded in the same way - directly from central government. • They can appoint their own governing body (the group of people who will make all the important decisions about the school) and can design their own curriculum without any real interference from government.
Why do people have a problem with free schools? • For much the same reasons as academies; people are fearful that they will fragment communities, and will place too much power in the hands of Governors, who will have very little ‘check’ upon their decisions. • Free schools also have the freedom to employ teachers who do not have a teaching qualification, which some teachers’ unions think could be a problem. • There is also an issue around who has chosen to set up free schools. At the moment, it is mainly religious groups, and some people have concerns over the potentially narrow/biased curriculum that children at these schools may be taught. • Moreover, it could be argued that middle class parents have a greater chance of setting up free schools, because they have the advantage of cultural capital to help them in the complicated and sometimes political process of setting up a school.
What perspectives does this policy fit with? • The New Right would approve of this idea; it is increasing choice for parents to a greater degree- now, if they don’t like the choice of schools available to them, they can set up their own. This is the ultimate parentocracy!
Introduction of the English Baccaulaureate (or E-Bacc) • The E-Bacc is a way of measuring how many students from a school leave with a certain set of qualification. The measure recognizes where pupils have secured a C grade or better across a core of academic subjects – English, mathematics, history or geography, the sciences and a language.
Why was it introduced? • This measure enables parents and pupils to see how their school is performing in these key academic subjects. The government wants to encourage more students to take these core subjects. They argue that lots of schools were encouraging children to take what they refer to as ‘non-academic’ subjects and this was putting these students, who were usually from poor backgrounds, at a disadvantage when it came to applying for A-Level courses and University. They want more schools to ensure that all children can take the subjects which make up the E-Bacc, so that more children have a core set of ‘traditional’ subjects at GCSE level.
Why are some people critical of it? • Some people see the introduction of the E-Bacc, and the subjects it includes, as ‘turning back the clock’ in education. Critics see it as a way of slowly getting rid of vocational subjects and even subjects like Business Studies or Sociology (!) which are newer to the curriculum.
Other • Compulsory education to the age of 18 • Increased OFSTED inspections • Higher entry requirements for teachers • Increased university fees • The end of EMA • Increased contributions from parents
Next Lesson Exam Questions • Outline and assess the view that government policy since 1988 has increased inequality in education (50) • Outline and assess the view that education policies have raised standards since 1988 (50) • Outline and assess the success of educational policies in the UK since 1997. (50)
