Sociology Understanding Society

Education systems  are different across countries. Many sociologists have been critical of education, believing it's about control more than educating children. 

Systematic and ideological reasons for the development of education - teaching reading is linked to the development of industry and need for workers to follow rules.

Informal education - education that occurs outside of the curriculum. This can be things such as norms and values of society and key skils. 

Formal education - national curriculum that is taught in school. 

• Child labour - children are in school to protect them from exploitation by employers of child labour. 
• Vocationalism - children can be traiend for work and the needs of employers.
• Public health - children from poor families can be offered nutrition and encouraged to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
• Economic trade - British manafacturing and business requires a trained workforce, maintain its positiion as a world leader in trade. 
• Military capacity - Britain was a military nation. Required soldiers with basic education and good standard of health. 
• Training in cultural values - schools promote well being and culture of children is explicity in educational legislation.
• Religious reasons - if children could be taught to read the bible, it would improve their moral behaviour. 

• Agency of secondary socialisation
• allocation of children to different social roles
• preparing children for adult work
• provide opportunities for children
• instilling social vlaues in children
• provide training in logical thinking
• transmission of cultural knowledge. 

Sociologists agree that education should: 

• provide opportunities for children
• sort children in terms of their ability
• prepare children for adult life
•  help children to become active participants in society.

• Introduction of parent governers 
• Financial control taken from local authorities and given to headteachers/governing bodies
• Frequent inspections 
• Increased examination of children at various ages 
• Introduction of competition between schools for pupils 
• Concept of educational choice for parents, pick a school most suited to their child 
• Better performing schools were given additional funding 
• Schools were allowed to select up to 10% of their pupils on the basis of ability 
• Grants to students at universities were replaced by loans to be repaid 
• Fees to higher education rather than public funding