SO11: Education Policy
How education policy has changed: the tripartite system, comprehensive education, marketisation, academies, free schools, and the impact of policy on inequality.
Education Policy
How education policy has changed: the tripartite system, comprehensive education, marketisation, academies, free schools, and the impact of policy on inequality.
Key Fact: 1944 Education Act: introduced the tripartite system - grammar schools (academic, 20% via 11+ exam), secondary moderns (practical/vocational, 75%), technical schools (few existed). Supposedly meritocratic but reproduced class inequality - middle-class children disproportionately passed the 11+.
Key Fact: 1965: comprehensive education replaced the tripartite system. All pupils attend the same type of school regardless of ability. Aimed to reduce inequality and create social mixing. Evaluation: reduced the stigma of failing the 11+ but streaming within comprehensives reproduced inequality. Some areas retained grammar schools (the grammar school debate continues).
Key Fact: 1988 Education Reform Act (Marketisation): introduced the National Curriculum, league tables, Ofsted inspections, and open enrollment (parents choose schools). Schools compete for pupils (like businesses). Smith and Noble: marketisation benefits middle-class parents who can work the system (house prices near good schools, knowledge of admissions). Whitty: creates a 'parentocracy' where educated, affluent parents have most choice.
Key Fact: Academies and free schools (2010 onwards): academies are state-funded but independent of local authority control; free schools are set up by parents, teachers or charities. Intended to raise standards through autonomy and innovation. Evaluation: some academies have improved results, but overall evidence is mixed. Critics argue they reduce democratic accountability and increase social segregation.
Key Fact: Recent policies: tuition fees for university (policies create a class divide in higher education), pupil premium (additional funding for disadvantaged students - evaluation: helps but is insufficient), and policies to promote social mobility (evaluation: limited success because they don't address structural inequality).
📋 Key Vocabulary and Concepts
For Education Policy, you must know:
- Tripartite system
- 11+ exam
- Grammar school
- Secondary modern
- Comprehensive education
- 1988 Education Reform Act
- Marketisation
- League tables
- Ofsted
- Open enrollment
- Parentocracy
- Academies
- Free schools
- Pupil premium
- Tuition fees
- National Curriculum
❓ Practice Questions
Q1: Describe how education policy has changed since 1944 and evaluate the impact of these changes.
Q2: Evaluate the impact of marketisation on educational inequality.
Q3: Assess whether comprehensive education has reduced inequality.
✅ Answers
- 1944: tripartite system (grammar, secondary modern, technical) - reproduced class inequality. 1965: comprehensives - reduced stigma but streaming reproduced inequality. 1988: marketisation (league tables, Ofsted, choice) - benefits middle-class parents. 2010+: academies and free schools - mixed evidence on impact. Overall: policies have not significantly reduced class inequality.
- Marketisation: schools compete like businesses (league tables, Ofsted, open enrollment). Positive: drives up standards, gives parents choice. Negative: Smith and Noble - middle-class parents can 'work the system' (move near good schools, appeal decisions); Gewirtz - three types of chooser (privileged/skilled, semi-skilled, disconnected); creates social segregation (good schools become middle-class enclaves). Marketisation has increased inequality by giving advantages to those who already have cultural and economic capital.
- Comprehensives reduced the 11+ stigma and created more social mixing. However: streaming within comprehensives reproduced the tripartite divide (Ball: working-class in lower streams); middle-class parents still find ways to gain advantage (house buying, tutoring); the residual grammar schools in some areas maintain selection. Evaluation: comprehensives reduced some inequalities but could not overcome the structural advantages of the middle class.
🎯 Exam Tips
- Tripartite (1944) = selection by 11+. Comprehensive (1965) = same school for all. Marketisation (1988) = competition and choice.
- Marketisation = PARENTOCRACY (educated parents have most choice). It BENEFITS the middle class and DISADVANTAGES the working class.
- Education policy has NOT significantly reduced class inequality because policies don't address structural disadvantage.
📝 Exam Technique
Sociology Exam Tips:
When evaluating education policy, always: describe the policy clearly, explain its intended purpose, evaluate its actual impact on inequality (especially class, gender and ethnicity), and consider unintended consequences.
When evaluating education policy, always: describe the policy clearly, explain its intended purpose, evaluate its actual impact on inequality (especially class, gender and ethnicity), and consider unintended consequences.
⚠️ Common Errors
Watch Out!
Students often make mistakes here. Wrong: Marketisation has improved education for everyone by making schools compete and raising standards. Correct: While marketisation has driven up standards in some schools, it has increased inequality: middle-class parents can 'work the system' through house buying near good schools and using cultural capital to navigate admissions; league tables encourage schools to select easier-to-teach students; failing schools serve the most disadvantaged communities. Gewirtz's research shows that 'disconnected choosers' (typically working-class) lack the knowledge and confidence to navigate the system. Marketisation improves education for some but worsens it for others.
✍️ Model Answer
Full-Mark Response
Evaluate the impact of education policy on equality of educational opportunity since 1944.
A grade 9 response will: describe key policies (tripartite, comprehensive, marketisation, academies); evaluate each for impact on equality (tripartite reproduced class inequality, comprehensive reduced some inequalities but streaming persisted, marketisation increased class advantage, academies have mixed evidence); conclude: despite 75+ years of reform, class inequality in education persists because policies address symptoms (school structures) not causes (poverty, cultural capital, labelling). Genuine equality requires addressing structural inequality outside as well as inside schools.
📊 AO Deep Dive
Assessment Objective Focus: Education Policy
AO1 — Knowledge: Show knowledge of Education Policy using sociological terminology accurately. Identify key thinkers, concepts and theoretical perspectives.
AO2 — Application: Apply understanding of Education Policy to contemporary social contexts and given scenarios. Use evidence to illustrate sociological points.
AO3 — Analysis & Evaluation: Evaluate sociological explanations of Education Policy, comparing different theoretical perspectives and weighing the quality of evidence.
📝 Exam Questions by Topic
🎬 Video Resources
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