Assess the Extent to Which Educational Policies Have Been Meritocratic. (20 marks)
Introduction | Meritocracy is where a pupil’s ability, rather than their class background, income, ethnicity or gender, determines the school they go to and the grades they get. | |
Previous to 1944 | Before the 1944 Education Act, children of different classes received very different educations.Children of the wealthy middle class (bourgeoisie) could afford to send their children to public schools and grammar schools where they would receive an academic education.Working-class children received only a very basic education in elementary schools. The purpose of these schools was not to provide the working classes with an opportunity to climb the social ladder, but rather to teach them the basic skills necessary for work and to obey authority. | (AO1) |
1944 Education Act: The Tripartite System | The 1944 Education Act replaced the old class-based education system with the Tripartite System. (outline details of the Tripartite system)In principle, the Tripartite system was more meritocratic because…(finish the sentence) | (AO2) |
Criticisms of the Tripartite System | In practice, however, the Tripartite system was not meritocratic because…(fill in three reasons why) * * * | (AO2) |
1965: Comprehens-ivisation | Because of the problems outlined above, the Tripartite system was abolished and grammar and secondary modern schools were replaced with comprehensive schools. In principle this improved equality of educational opportunity because…(fill in two reasons why) * * | (AO1) |
Criticisms | In practice, however, the comprehensive system didn’t work as a meritocracy because…(finish the sentence) | (AO2) |
1988 Education Act: National Curriculum and Marketisation | The main principles behind the 1988 Education Act were: * Marketisation, which means that…(finish the sentence) * The idea of Parentocracy, which means that…(finish the sentence)This act...