Assess and explain the impact of social class on inequalities in educational outcomes.
Assess and explain the impact of social class on inequalities in educational outcomes.
A good education is vital in succeeding within many industries in the UK, from Business to Medicine, Politics to Art. It unfortunately does not come as a surprise that only 58.6% of students attained 5 or more GCSE’s at grades A* to C (Department for Education 2012). In comparison, albeit falling this year on previous years, 94.4% of students in private schools attained the same results (The Independent 2012a). Following the recent recession, Social mobility has begun to decline and is lower today than it was thirty years ago. It is now less likely that a child of parents in a low-income bracket will rise to the top-income bracket than it was in 1970 (The Centre for Social Justice 2006). Here we will examine the evidence for class inequalities in education and then look at why social class has such an impact on the educational outcomes of pupils in Britain.
Numerous studies argue that the social class of an individual directly influences their educational outcome. It is believed that by the age of three, poor children have been assessed to be one year behind richer ones in terms of communication (BBC, 2010). In some areas, up to 50% of children starting primary school have been found to not have the necessary language and communication skills they need to begin school (National Equity Panel 2010). Looking into later schooling, Pupils with GCSE results above the national median, who have been eligible for free school meals, are less likely to go on to higher education than more affluent students with the same results (National Equity Panel, 2010), suggesting even though children are just as capable, they lack opportunities.
The main focus of educational policy over the last 100 years has been to raise overall standards in education, rather than increasing the quality of education provided. The Education act of 1988 ushered in the idea of an educational market, which
A good education is vital in succeeding within many industries in the UK, from Business to Medicine, Politics to Art. It unfortunately does not come as a surprise that only 58.6% of students attained 5 or more GCSE’s at grades A* to C (Department for Education 2012). In comparison, albeit falling this year on previous years, 94.4% of students in private schools attained the same results (The Independent 2012a). Following the recent recession, Social mobility has begun to decline and is lower today than it was thirty years ago. It is now less likely that a child of parents in a low-income bracket will rise to the top-income bracket than it was in 1970 (The Centre for Social Justice 2006). Here we will examine the evidence for class inequalities in education and then look at why social class has such an impact on the educational outcomes of pupils in Britain.
Numerous studies argue that the social class of an individual directly influences their educational outcome. It is believed that by the age of three, poor children have been assessed to be one year behind richer ones in terms of communication (BBC, 2010). In some areas, up to 50% of children starting primary school have been found to not have the necessary language and communication skills they need to begin school (National Equity Panel 2010). Looking into later schooling, Pupils with GCSE results above the national median, who have been eligible for free school meals, are less likely to go on to higher education than more affluent students with the same results (National Equity Panel, 2010), suggesting even though children are just as capable, they lack opportunities.
The main focus of educational policy over the last 100 years has been to raise overall standards in education, rather than increasing the quality of education provided. The Education act of 1988 ushered in the idea of an educational market, which
References: BBC (2010), unequal opportunities with John Humphrys, (20th September 2010) National Equality Panel (2010), an anatomy of economic inequality in the UK, London: Government Equalities Office. The Centre for Social Justice, EDUCATIONAL FAILURE, http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/default.asp?pageRef=193 The Independent (2012b), Hensher, Philip, ‘Rejecting Oxbridge isn’t clever – it’s a mistake’, The Independent (20 January 2012) Guardian (2012b) – Sutton Trust EdPlace (2012), ‘Parents spend a staggering £6bn a year on private tutors’, http://www.edplace.com/blog/parents-spend-a-staggering-6bn-a-year-on-private-tutors (7 September 2012) Sullivan (2001), Sullivan, Alison Becker (1971), Becker, Howard, ‘Social-class variations in teacher-pupil relationship’, School and Society, (1971) Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968), ‘Teacher expectations for the disadvantaged’, Robert Rosenthal and Lenore F. Jacobson, from Scientific American, (April 1968) Beynon (1985), Benyon, John, ‘Initial encounters in a comprehensive school’, (1985)