HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Education has had a relationship with the economy and with the government for at least the last 200 years
Over the last 100 years, teachers’ pay was based ENTIRELY on the success or otherwise of their pupils
- The payment by results system.
BUTLER’S 1944 EDUCATION ACT
Introduced the Tripartite System of Schooling (1944-1976)
- grammar, technical high and secondary modern schools
Revised the school leaving age of 15
Introduced Transfer Test or 11-plus examination- to determine which type of schools students would attend after primary school education
Technical schools did not appear to be favourable
…Tripartite System
Resulted in fierce competition for places at grammar schools
Examination became very important in which no longer served the purpose of allocating the students according to the need or ability but instead it became seen as a question of passing or falling
Generally there were problems with the 11-plus examination
A review on testing methods in the tripartite system was needed
TAYLOR COMMITTEE INQUIRY 1977
Inquiry into the way schools are governed
Altered the make up and charter of Boards of Governors and the Boards of Managers.
The 1988 Education Act revised their power and responsibilities.
The 1996 Education Act further refine the revision
PROBLEMS IN THE UK EDUCATION SYSTEM (1)
The low staying rate AT age 16- low by international standard
Widespread concerns about poor and failing standards in schools- exam achievement at the age 16 had stagnated
Relatively poor basic skills of the UK population
Persistent inequalities in Higher Education
PROBLEMS IN THE UK EDUCATION SYSTEM (2)
Successive Conservative governments in the 1980s and 1990s introduced “market mechanisms” into the UK education system in an attempt to force schools to raise standards.
The 1988 Education Reform Act introduced the market reforms - a move towards a “ quasi-market” as well as the National Curriculum
PROBLEMS IN THE UK EDUCATION SYSTEM (3)
The relatively small number of pupils staying on in education PAST the age of 16 ie post compulsory education
A low proportion achieving level 2 or 3 compared to other countries
1988 EDUCATION REFORM ACT
Background to the Act
Concerns about standards of literacy and numeracy
Scandals concerning badly run schools
Unwelcome ideological influences on education
Worries about equity, balance and progression in learning
A cross-party concensus
…/background to the Act“.. To the teachers I would say that you must satisfy the parents and industry that what you are doing meets their requirements and the needs of the children.”
James Callaghan 1976
Labour Prime Minister The teacher’s pay
The crisis in local government
National politics vs local politics
1988 Education Reform Act
Widely regarded as the MOST important single piece of education legislations in England
Provisions for
Setting up a National Curriculum- a highly centralised education policy.
Core subjects imposed by Whitehall
Introducing testing and league tables
Testings imposed for students at ages 7, 11, 14 and 16
…/1988 Education Reform Act
Provisions for
Setting up a National Curriculum- a highly centralised education policy
Introducing a process of assessment and league tables
Offering local management of schools- devolution of power
Increasing accountability through a regular inspection regime and from changing the nature of school governing bodies
THE SHIFT IN POWER
Centralised control
Unprecedented powers for the Secretary of State
The machinery of consensus: National Curriculum Council & School Examinations and Assessment Council
National Curriculum and Assessment
Local management of schools (LMS)
Local management of schools (LMS)
HE colleges and polytechnics removed from LEA control
Creating an education’market’
From professional/bureaucratic to market/ managerial
MARKET MECHANISMS INTRODUCED (1980s-1990s)
To increase parental choice to select schools to send their children to
Choice gives the opportunity to avoid bad schools
Good schools are encouraged by parental support, bad schools are left to wither away
School funding became more closely linked to students enrolment numbers
Parents have representation on school governing bodies
Published test results
Making publicly available test score information aka ‘ academic league-tables’
Later a more sophisticated league-table, focusing on a range of outcomes rather than just education success rate at age 16 (refer CVA ). Nonetheless even today, newspapers still focus most on the overall exam pass rate in different schools as being the issue of primary interest to parents
Introduced the Tripartite System of Schooling (1944-1976)
- grammar, technical high and secondary modern schools
Revised the school leaving age of 15
Introduced Transfer Test or 11-plus examination- to determine which type of schools students would attend after primary school education
Technical schools did not appear to be favourable
…Tripartite System
Resulted in fierce competition for places at grammar schools
Examination became very important in which no longer served the purpose of allocating the students according to the need or ability but instead it became seen as a question of passing or falling
Generally there were problems with the 11-plus examination
A review on testing methods in the tripartite system was needed
TAYLOR COMMITTEE INQUIRY 1977
Inquiry into the way schools are governed
Altered the make up and charter of Boards of Governors and the Boards of Managers.
The 1988 Education Act revised their power and responsibilities.
The 1996 Education Act further refine the revision
PROBLEMS IN THE UK EDUCATION SYSTEM (1)
The low staying rate AT age 16- low by international standard
Widespread concerns about poor and failing standards in schools- exam achievement at the age 16 had stagnated
Relatively poor basic skills of the UK population
Persistent inequalities in Higher Education
PROBLEMS IN THE UK EDUCATION SYSTEM (2)
Successive Conservative governments in the 1980s and 1990s introduced “market mechanisms” into the UK education system in an attempt to force schools to raise standards.
The 1988 Education Reform Act introduced the market reforms - a move towards a “ quasi-market” as well as the National Curriculum
PROBLEMS IN THE UK EDUCATION SYSTEM (3)
The relatively small number of pupils staying on in education PAST the age of 16 ie post compulsory education
A low proportion achieving level 2 or 3 compared to other countries
1988 EDUCATION REFORM ACT
Background to the Act
Concerns about standards of literacy and numeracy
Scandals concerning badly run schools
Unwelcome ideological influences on education
Worries about equity, balance and progression in learning
A cross-party concensus
…/background to the Act“.. To the teachers I would say that you must satisfy the parents and industry that what you are doing meets their requirements and the needs of the children.”
James Callaghan 1976
Labour Prime Minister The teacher’s pay
The crisis in local government
National politics vs local politics
1988 Education Reform Act
Widely regarded as the MOST important single piece of education legislations in England
Provisions for
Setting up a National Curriculum- a highly centralised education policy.
Core subjects imposed by Whitehall
Introducing testing and league tables
Testings imposed for students at ages 7, 11, 14 and 16
…/1988 Education Reform Act
Provisions for
Setting up a National Curriculum- a highly centralised education policy
Introducing a process of assessment and league tables
Offering local management of schools- devolution of power
Increasing accountability through a regular inspection regime and from changing the nature of school governing bodies
THE SHIFT IN POWER
Centralised control
Unprecedented powers for the Secretary of State
The machinery of consensus: National Curriculum Council & School Examinations and Assessment Council
National Curriculum and Assessment
Local management of schools (LMS)
Local management of schools (LMS)
HE colleges and polytechnics removed from LEA control
Creating an education’market’
From professional/bureaucratic to market/ managerial
MARKET MECHANISMS INTRODUCED (1980s-1990s)
To increase parental choice to select schools to send their children to
Choice gives the opportunity to avoid bad schools
Good schools are encouraged by parental support, bad schools are left to wither away
School funding became more closely linked to students enrolment numbers
Parents have representation on school governing bodies
Published test results
Making publicly available test score information aka ‘ academic league-tables’
Later a more sophisticated league-table, focusing on a range of outcomes rather than just education success rate at age 16 (refer CVA ). Nonetheless even today, newspapers still focus most on the overall exam pass rate in different schools as being the issue of primary interest to parents
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