Why might it be important to distinguish between rhetoric and actual policy when considering changes in education policy over time
Chitty (2014)
Although New Labour framed policies in new language of ‘social inclusion/cohesion’, actual policies revealed lack of substantive change
Key reforms of 1988 Education Act
Different goals of education
Definition of high-stakes testing
Testing w/direct consequences for pupils and/or schools based on results (incl. streaming of pupils, or certificates at end of compulsory education)
Arguments FOR high-stakes testing
Arguments AGAINST high-stakes testing
Centralising changes to education system
Decentralising changes to education system
When was Ofsted introduced?
1992
When were academy schools introduced?
2000
Education policy - extent of consensus in choice and quasi-markets?
Conflict:
(i) Some minor policy reversals by New Labour (e.g. abolished nursery school vouchers, ended assisted places scheme)
Examples of minor policy reversal by New Labour in choice/quasi-markets (education policy)?
New Labour:
What did 2005 education White Paper aim to establish?
What “would in one sense be a market” in education
What are academy schools able to do?
Opt out of LEA control and get central government funding
Education policy - extent of consensus in school diversity?
Furlong and Lunt (2014)
Rapid acceleration of academy programme and introduction of free schools under Coalition represented “step change” in school diversity
Rapid acceleration of academy programme and introduction of free schools under Coalition represented “step change” in school diversity
Furlong and Lunt (2014)
Evidence on expansion of academy programme under Coalition?
By 2012, > ½ secondary schools had/were about to become academies
What are free schools?
Schools created by voluntary groups/non-profit organisations, with government funding
How do academies and free schools have increased freedom? Constraints?
Freedoms:
Constraints:
Education policy - extent of consensus in school spending?
Thatcher - significantly tightened public education spending
New Labour - rapidly increased education spending by 1% of GDP from 1999 to 2008 (doubling school budget)
Coalition - education budget protected, though planned school refurbishments cancelled and less investment vs New Labour
What was one of the only areas of real departure of Coalition education policy from New Labour, according to Chitty (2014)?
Slowdown in spending and investment, with planned refurbishments cancelled
Under New Labour, education spending rapidly increased by …..% of GDP from ….. to ….. (representing a ….. of the budget)
Under New Labour, education spending rapidly increased by 1% of GDP from 1999 to 2008 (representing a doubling of the budget)
Evidence of increased education spending and investment under New Labour?