UK POLITICS AND EDUCATION

UK Politics And Education



UK Politics And Education

Education policy in the UK

Free elementary education was introduced in England in 1870; secondary schools were fee-paying until 1944. 80% of children left after elementary education, which after 1918 finished at 14. The 1944 Education Act introduced free secondary education.

The dominant principle was the pursuit of equality. The system was based on a 'tripartite' structure, distinguishing grammar, technical and secondary modern. Within these schools there was to be 'parity of esteem'. In practice, there were few technical schools, which meant the system was more 'bipartite' than 'tripartite'. Since grammar schools were selective, and secondary moderns took the rest, there was never 'parity of esteem'.

Non-selective or 'comprehensive' schools were introduced gradually, but comprehensive education became government policy in the 1960s. The arguments for and against comprehensive education have been confused with other arguments about educational methods and the purposes of education. The main arguments for comprehensives are they reduce the likelihood of discrimination or disadvantage on the basis of class , and that they improve the prospects of children of middling ability. The main argument against is that the selective system may be more consistent with the idea of equality of opportunity. Working class children who went to grammar schools did better than those who go now to comprehensive schools.

Educational standards

A series of conservative critiques of the education system in the 1970s argued that

* the abandonment of selection had been destructive;

* discipline in schools had been eroded; and

* new teaching methods had failed.

By contrast, the schools inspectorate (subsequently Ofsted in England and Wales) made a very different set of criticisms of schooling:

* Comprehensives had imitated grammar schools instead of developing their own kind of curriculum.

* Exams dominated the curriculum unreasonably.

*Virtually all schools let down the less able pupils.

Most schools have no problem of discipline (though recent Ofsted reports comment on some deterioration in standards in secondary schools). The most common problem, identified in a fifth of schools, is truancy which is condoned by parents.

Reforms in education

There have been three main trends in recent reforms.

* Centralisation. The Conservative government in the 1980s and 1990s introduced national assessments, and for the first time a national curriculum, shifting the locus of control from the school to the government.

* Assessment by outcomes. A series of measures have emphasised outcomes, measured in targets and performance criteria, rather than educational processes. This reflects a more general trend in government. The national assessments, and intermittent use of league tables, are examples.

* The use of "initiatives". "Initiatives" have the advantage, for government, that they allow for earmarked funding - the money cannot be used for other purposes - and that they allow governments to be selective in what they pay for and where. There has also been a plethora of further initiatives geared to greater inclusion, employability and "lifelong learning". There has been some criticism of potential "initiative overload".

Discussion

Throughout the post-war period there have been many attempts to reform the ...