Educational policies in the UK since 1997

Educational policies in the UK since 1997

1. Types of Schools

   • Comprehensive schools
   • Faith schools
   • Secondary modern schools
   • Private schools
   • Grammar schools

2. Different aspects of education from polices

   • New Right
     • Schools should compete to attract pupils and educational standards improve as a result
     • Marketisation, testing and national curriculum (1979-1997)
   • Social Democrat
     • Society should be based on fairness

3. The Education Act 2011

   • Brought in by coalition government
   • Changes to many different education policy such as:
     • Discipline
     • Post-16 education and training
     • Student finance
     • Academies (free schools)
       • Non profit making, independent state funding school
       • Offer broad and balanced curriculum
       • Not controlled by a local authority
     • Pupil premium
     • EMA's

4. Criticisms

   • Increased university fees
   • Lots of cuts to funding
   • Inequalities still in education
     • Ball et al.- families using cultural capital to impress at interviews
   • Students still effected by material and culutural deprivation

5. Compulsory education/training to the age of 18

6. Curriculum 2000

   • Reform of the A level exams, split into AS exams and A2 exams
   • New Labour
     • Tomlison argues the 'new vocationalism' has been built on by more recent New Labour governments

7. Background information

   • New Right influenced the New Labour government elected in 1997
     • Policies begun by the conservative were continued eg. specialist schools
       • Specialist schools were encouraged to specialize in certain subjects
       • Aim was to encourage choice, competition and raise standards