Educational Policy and Inequality - Part 4
Coalition and Conservative Educational Policy 2010-present.
1. Neoliberal and New Right ideas about education.
A) Describe neoliberal and New Right ideas about education
They want to reduce the role of the state in the provision of education through marketisation
and privatisation.
B) Explain what is meant by marketisation, include two different types of marketisation:
(Internal market within the state education system, the privatisation of state
education.)
Marketisation is the process of making the education system like a consumerist market, the
internal market within the state education being considered through parental choice of
schools.
2. Academics
A) Describe the key features of an academy.
There are now two types of academy:
1. Sponsored academies, which are instructed to become academies by the
Department for Education because they were 'failing'.
2. Converter academies, which choose to become academies.
B) How many schools are academies today?
When the coalition government came to power in May 2010 there were 203 academies.
Today there are 40.4% of primary schools are academies. and 80.4% of secondary schools
are academies.
C) What is the key difference between New Labour and Conservative approaches to
academies?
Under Labour, academies were designed to replace underperforming secondary schools in
disadvantaged areas. The Coalition's policy for academies was much more ambitious.
Labour's concern with disadvantaged children remains, but now all schools, both primary
and secondary, outstanding and average, in high and low-income areas, can apply to
convert to an academy.
D) Suggest 1 strength of academies
The Department for Education (22 June, 2012) claimed that the improvement in GCSE
results for academies from 2010 to 2011 was twice that of non-academies. Also, they
provided extra funding for schools as 39% of converted schools said this was their main
reason. (The schools’ network, 2012).
E) Suggest 1 criticism of academies
However, a comparison of academies and non-academies in disadvantaged areas - a
comparison of like with like - shows no difference in their levels of improvement from 2010 to
2011 (Stewart, 2012).
3. Free schools
A) Describe the key features of a free school.
Whereas academies were developed from Labour policies, free schools were a new
departure. Rather than replacing existing schools, they form new ones. The first free schools
opened in 2011.
B) Why do some people support free schools?
The coalition suggested that the aim of free schools is to encourage diversity, adding to
parental choice, and to increase competition, in order to drive up standards. This will be
Coalition and Conservative Educational Policy 2010-present.
1. Neoliberal and New Right ideas about education.
A) Describe neoliberal and New Right ideas about education
They want to reduce the role of the state in the provision of education through marketisation
and privatisation.
B) Explain what is meant by marketisation, include two different types of marketisation:
(Internal market within the state education system, the privatisation of state
education.)
Marketisation is the process of making the education system like a consumerist market, the
internal market within the state education being considered through parental choice of
schools.
2. Academics
A) Describe the key features of an academy.
There are now two types of academy:
1. Sponsored academies, which are instructed to become academies by the
Department for Education because they were 'failing'.
2. Converter academies, which choose to become academies.
B) How many schools are academies today?
When the coalition government came to power in May 2010 there were 203 academies.
Today there are 40.4% of primary schools are academies. and 80.4% of secondary schools
are academies.
C) What is the key difference between New Labour and Conservative approaches to
academies?
Under Labour, academies were designed to replace underperforming secondary schools in
disadvantaged areas. The Coalition's policy for academies was much more ambitious.
Labour's concern with disadvantaged children remains, but now all schools, both primary
and secondary, outstanding and average, in high and low-income areas, can apply to
convert to an academy.
D) Suggest 1 strength of academies
The Department for Education (22 June, 2012) claimed that the improvement in GCSE
results for academies from 2010 to 2011 was twice that of non-academies. Also, they
provided extra funding for schools as 39% of converted schools said this was their main
reason. (The schools’ network, 2012).
E) Suggest 1 criticism of academies
However, a comparison of academies and non-academies in disadvantaged areas - a
comparison of like with like - shows no difference in their levels of improvement from 2010 to
2011 (Stewart, 2012).
3. Free schools
A) Describe the key features of a free school.
Whereas academies were developed from Labour policies, free schools were a new
departure. Rather than replacing existing schools, they form new ones. The first free schools
opened in 2011.
B) Why do some people support free schools?
The coalition suggested that the aim of free schools is to encourage diversity, adding to
parental choice, and to increase competition, in order to drive up standards. This will be
