Educational Policy and Inequality - Part 2
Conservative Educational Policy 1979-1997
1. Neoliberal/New Right political ideologies
A) Briefly, outline the key ideas of neoliberal/new right political ideologies. P69 topic 5
may help.
- They believe that some people are naturally more talented than others.
- They favour an education system run on meritocratic principles of open competition,
and one that serves for the needs of the economy by preparing young people for
work.
- They believe that education should socialise pupils into shared values, such as
completion, and instil a sense of national identity.
- New right believes this is not happening and the failure is down to the education
system being run by the state as it uses a ‘one-fits all’ approach imposing uniformity
and disregarding local needs.
- Their solution to these problems is the marketisation of the education system-
creating an education market.
2. Marketisation
A) Explain what is meant by the concept of marketisation?
It refers to the process of introducing market forces of consumer choice and competition
between suppliers into areas run by the state, such as education. Marketisation has created
an education market.
B) When was marketisation introduced into the education system?
It has been a central theme of the government in the Education Act 1988 which was
introduced by the conservative government of Margaret Thatcher.
C) Which governments have supported the marketisation of education?
- From 1997, the New labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown followed
similar policies, emphasising standards, diversity and choices. From 2010, the
Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government took marketisation even further,
for example creating academies and free schools.
- As previously seen, neoliberals and New right favour the marketisation of the
education system.
3. Policies to promote marketisation
A) Identify and outline key policies introduced to promote marketisation under the
Education Act 1988?
1. Grants maintained schools directly funded by the central government, the idea was to
free schools to specialise in particular subjects or particular types of students. It
hoped to offer diversity and real choice for parents while encouraging schools to
compete in the educational marketplace.
2. City technology colleges; Diversity, choices and competition were extended by the
introduction of city technology colleges. They were financed by the central
government and the private industry, focusing more on STEM. They were to be built
in inner-city areas, for all 11 to 18 year old students and were to compete with
already existing schools. By 1996, there were 1110 grant maintained schools,
account for ⅕ secondary students. There were 15 city technology colleges, 30
language colleges, and 151 new technology colleges. (Chitty 2002)
Conservative Educational Policy 1979-1997
1. Neoliberal/New Right political ideologies
A) Briefly, outline the key ideas of neoliberal/new right political ideologies. P69 topic 5
may help.
- They believe that some people are naturally more talented than others.
- They favour an education system run on meritocratic principles of open competition,
and one that serves for the needs of the economy by preparing young people for
work.
- They believe that education should socialise pupils into shared values, such as
completion, and instil a sense of national identity.
- New right believes this is not happening and the failure is down to the education
system being run by the state as it uses a ‘one-fits all’ approach imposing uniformity
and disregarding local needs.
- Their solution to these problems is the marketisation of the education system-
creating an education market.
2. Marketisation
A) Explain what is meant by the concept of marketisation?
It refers to the process of introducing market forces of consumer choice and competition
between suppliers into areas run by the state, such as education. Marketisation has created
an education market.
B) When was marketisation introduced into the education system?
It has been a central theme of the government in the Education Act 1988 which was
introduced by the conservative government of Margaret Thatcher.
C) Which governments have supported the marketisation of education?
- From 1997, the New labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown followed
similar policies, emphasising standards, diversity and choices. From 2010, the
Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government took marketisation even further,
for example creating academies and free schools.
- As previously seen, neoliberals and New right favour the marketisation of the
education system.
3. Policies to promote marketisation
A) Identify and outline key policies introduced to promote marketisation under the
Education Act 1988?
1. Grants maintained schools directly funded by the central government, the idea was to
free schools to specialise in particular subjects or particular types of students. It
hoped to offer diversity and real choice for parents while encouraging schools to
compete in the educational marketplace.
2. City technology colleges; Diversity, choices and competition were extended by the
introduction of city technology colleges. They were financed by the central
government and the private industry, focusing more on STEM. They were to be built
in inner-city areas, for all 11 to 18 year old students and were to compete with
already existing schools. By 1996, there were 1110 grant maintained schools,
account for ⅕ secondary students. There were 15 city technology colleges, 30
language colleges, and 151 new technology colleges. (Chitty 2002)
