Education

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Types of schools

State boarding - Provide free education but fees for boarding

Faith School - Generally connected to one religion. For example Church of England schools

Grammar Schools - Schools for the most able pupils. Selected by passing the Eleven Plus Exam

Academies - Publicly funded independant schools that get mney from the government

Private Schools - Charge fees instead of being funded by the government

Special Schools - Specialise in 1 of 4 areas of special needs

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Government acts surrounding education

1944 Education Act

  • Introduced the Eleven Plus Exam which was given to all pupils at the end of primary school
  • Tripartite System with three types of school : grammar, secondary technical and secondary modern

1988 Education Reform Act 

  • National curriculum with subjects that had to be studied
  • SATs 
  • League Tables
  • Ofsted 
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Education and gender

1970s - Boys did better than girls and more boys than girls went to university

1990s - Girls start to outperform boys at all levels

Girls have more positive role models meaning that they want to do better

Teachers give negative labels to boys which could lead to a self fufilling prophecy

Boys pay less attention to their work meaning that they don't do as well on coursework as girls do

Sports does little to help develop language and communication skills

Boys are more likely to be sent out of class meaning that they miss out on learning 

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Functionalist views

Education provides workers for the next generation 

Allows us to work with other people 

Provides children with the attitudes, skills and qualifications needed to become workers 

Fair and efficient 

Benefits everyone 

Talcott Parsons: 'education acts as a bridge between home and work' 

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Marxist views

Education reproduces inequalities and unfairness of the capitalist system 

Favours the higher class

Teaches you upper and lower class jobs 

Like functionalists they believe that the main purpose of education is to prepare us for work but they think it is done in a naegative way favouring the proletariat 

Teaches the skills that capitalist employers want 

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Feminist views

Benefits males therefore reinforcing patriarchy 

Subject choices are gender specific for example girls choosing subjects like catering and textiles and boys choosing maths and science 

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