In regards to the education system, the UK last saw reform in 2015details Roy (2019). This reform was based on the A- Level and GCSE grading systems in operation. They moved from an alphabetised system to a numerical system. Education in England has seen much reform, moreso since the 19th century. Despite regular reform, the UK education system as a whole still remains heavily plagued with disparities and discrimination according to Pager and Sheppard (2008).
The history of the education system in England is vast and expands roughly through 1500 years. Education in England according to Lawson and Silver (2013) began during the Saxon Settlement and catholic schools appeared in 597 and 604. Education in England remained closely associated with religion up until the 19th century when charity schools, known at the time as ragged schools, and free grammar schools began gaining popularity. Charity schools and Grammar schools were open to children of any religious belief.
Purvis (1989) suggests that reform during the 19th century included the government expanding educational provisions and also saw the introduction of widespread state funded education. Through continued reform, by 1866 school was compulsory for children between the ages of 5 and 10. This had a massive consequence on the victorian work force as many children worked in mines and industrial settings. The national education leaving age has steadily increased, most recently to 18 in 2015 as detailed by the government website (2020).
The education system during the 1900s saw much reform and reshuffling. For instance in the 1940s, as an administrative implementation of the Education Act of 1944 and Education Act of 1947, a tripartite system was introduced as proposed by McCulloch (2020). What this did was it created branches of state funded secondary education and those branches were grammar schools which could select their students, secondary technicals and secondary moderns. Eventually, this system was phased out in the 1960s and replaced by comprehensive schools. Further reforms in the 1980s saw the introduction of the National Curriculum.
The Education Reform Act of 1988 (Parliament, 1988) was aimed at creating a market in the sense that schools would compete for students. The good, well performing school would receive more students and the underachieving schools would be forced to improve or close. Additionally, the Educational Reform Act of 1888 set out the new national curriculum that provided guidance for schools regarding mandated subjects and the syllabuses that should be taught. This ensured every student in theory received the same education. Furthermore, the Act saw the introduction of national curriculum assessments set at ages 7, 11, 14 and 16. Also, economically the act proposed the strategy of formula funding which meant the more students a school had the more funding they would receive. Open enrollment was also reinstated and parents could choose which school their child would attend. Additionally religious education was reformed and reinstated.
Apprenticeships saw reformation in 1994. They were now created to offer a variety of qualifications. This included a knowledge based element qualification known as a technical certificate. There was also a competence based qualification referred to as a NVQ. The 1994 apprentice reform also emphasised the development of key skills such as English and Maths.
During the years of 1997 and 2010 the focus of education shifted to tailoring it to every child's ability. Gillard (2008) states that critics of this stance argued that it was reflective of the tripartite system. The government abolished grant maintained schools and specialised schools were established. Specialist schools were allowed to teach subjects not on the national curriculum and could select up to 10 per cent of their student intake per year. The Beacon Schools programme was also introduced but was later replaced in 2005 with broader programmes such as the Leading Edge Partnership Programme and Primary Strategy Learning Network. During this time period the labour government also introduced advanced skills teachers, city academies and education action zones. Additional reforms came in the form of vocational qualifications being renamed. Gillard (2008)also suggests that for instance the GNVQs were rebranded as vocational GCSEs and AVCEs. The scope of NVQs was expanded which made degree level NVQs possible to attain. There was in some senses a New Deal which offered people who were out of employment money to return back to education. Literacy and numeracy hours were set and so were performance targets. Truancy targets were also set and the Camerin administration later developed on this adding fines for parents of students who continuously truented. Class sizes for students aged 5- 7 were set at a maximum of 30 and Employment Maintenance Allowance was introduced to motivate students to embark on further education. The idea of performance related pay was also entertained but it faced fierce opposition from teacher unions. A final key reform in education was the Curriculum 2000 which is responsible for the most recent structure of AS and A2 Levels and Key Skills.
Despite all this historical reform there is still room to improve the educational system to ensure every student in England unlocks their full potential. There has been recent criticisms over the fact that the form of assessing students through the medium of exams is not a sign of intelligence or knowledge but rather exams are designed to highlight memorisation skills. In reality memorisation will only get students so far but the education system should aim to make sure every student can apply knowledge to real world situations. Tests do nothing but ncourage the pursuit of good grades rather than knowledge. By reducing students to memory tests it restricts their minds and ultimately limits their possibilities. “Many highly intelligent people are poor thinkers. Many people of average intelligence are skilled thinkers. The power of a car is separate from the way the car is driven.” - Edward de Bono.
It is also imperative to highlight the gross and disproportionate disparities in the education system. 7.5% of the population is made up Asian ethnic groups, 3.3% of the population is made of Black ethnic groups, 2.2% of the population is made up of Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups, 1.0% of the population is made up of Other ethnic groups. Yet, when we ask ourselves if this ethnic makeup is reflected in the curriculum currently being taught in our schools, the simpler answer would be no. As Shand Baptiste (2020) correctly draws attention to, the UK system is incredibly biased and racist, not only in terms of content distribution and the teaching of other histories and cultures but also in its general operation stating schools are unfairly punishing black students for their hairstyles, wearing bandanas and kissing teeth due to racial bias and a general lack of understanding of black culture. In the same vain black Caribbean children, in particular, are three and a half times more likely to be excluded than all other children at primary, secondary and special schools. This occurs due to the inclination of educators to perceive black children as disruptive, unambitious and inferior regardless of their actual capabilities. These biases my or may not occur unconsciously but the fact of the matter is that they occur.
Reform is also needed because it still currently favours students from advantaged backgrounds. Attainment and the overall educational experience of many children in the UK is linked to the levels of poverty they may encounter. Additionally, research by sociologists implies that there is a powerful relationship between the social background of a family and a child's test scores in England, arguably more than many other developed countries. The consequences of child poverty on education means that it reduces the child's readiness for school due to undesirable levels of physical health and motor skills. Poverty has also been shown to stump children's ability to memorise which is currently fundamental to educational success as well as diminishing concentration skills. Poverty also reduces motivation thus leading to a lack of attainment.
Overall, the education system had been progressing slightly in the right direction albeit very slowly. It is advised that the Department of Education devises a more diverse curriculum that addresses the true nature of British history as well as moving the curriculum away from eurocentricity and making the curriculum more reflective of the current UK population.
References
Gillard, D., 2018. Education in England: a history. Retrieved on 20th June 2019 from.
GOV.UK, 2020, School leaving age, available at https://www.gov.uk/know-when-you-can-leave-school [accessed 06/06/2020]
Lawson, J. and Silver, H., 2013. A social history of education in England. Routledge.
McCulloch, G., 2002. Local education authorities and the organisation of secondary education, 1943-1950. Oxford review of education, 28(2-3), pp.235-246.
Pager, D., & Shepherd, H. (2008). The Sociology of Discrimination: Racial Discrimination in Employment, Housing, Credit, and Consumer Markets. Annual review of sociology, 34, 181–209. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.33.040406.131740
Parliament, Education Reform Act, 1988. Education reform act.
Purvis, J., 1989. Hard lessons: lives and education of working class women in nineteenth century England. Polity Press.
Roy, W., 2019. The new examination system-GCSE. Routledge.
Shand- Baptiste, 2020,UK schools have targeted black children for generations – the education system is overdue for a reckoning, available at https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/school-racism-black-students-exclusions-hair-kiss-teeth-a9280296.html [accessed 06/06/2020]
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