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Unlock This CourseSince the 1988 Education Reform Act, UK schools have been pushed into a competitive marketplace where they must attract students to secure funding. This has transformed how schools operate and has significant impacts on educational achievement.
Key Definitions:
Marketisation treats education like a product that can be bought and sold. Schools become like businesses competing for 'customers' (students). The idea is that competition will drive up standards as schools try to outperform each other to attract more students.
League tables rank schools based on exam results and Ofsted ratings. They're meant to help parents make informed choices and encourage schools to improve. However, they can lead to schools focusing only on measurable outcomes rather than providing a well-rounded education.
The education market operates through several key mechanisms that were introduced through various Education Acts since the late 1980s:
Parents can apply to any school rather than just attending their local one. Schools that are popular become oversubscribed, while unpopular schools may struggle to fill places.
Schools receive funding based on pupil numbers. More students = more money. This creates a financial incentive to attract as many students as possible.
Exam results and Ofsted reports are publicly available. Schools with good results attract more students, creating a cycle of success or failure.
Supporters of marketisation argue that competition between schools has several benefits:
Critics highlight several problems with the competitive model:
Functionalists support competition as it prepares students for the competitive workplace. They believe it creates a meritocratic system where the most talented rise to the top regardless of background.
Marxists argue that competition reinforces inequality. Middle-class families have advantages in the school marketplace, while working-class students often end up in less desirable schools.
One significant issue with competition is 'cream-skimming' - where popular schools find ways to select students who are likely to achieve good results and avoid those who might bring down their average.
This can happen through:
This influential study examined how different social classes navigated school choice. They found that middle-class parents were 'skilled choosers' who researched schools thoroughly, visited multiple options and understood how to work the system. Working-class parents were often 'disconnected choosers' who lacked time, transport and confidence to explore options beyond their local area. This created a 'social sorting' effect where middle-class children concentrated in certain schools.
League tables have significantly changed how schools operate. Some consequences include:
The academies programme, started under Labour and expanded under Conservative governments, was designed to improve failing schools by giving them independence from local authorities. However, research by the Sutton Trust (2018) found that some academy chains were very successful at improving results, while others performed worse than local authority schools. This suggests that competition alone doesn't guarantee improvement - leadership and resources matter too.
Competition between schools affects different social groups in different ways:
Often benefit from school choice through greater resources (car ownership, ability to move house), cultural capital (understanding the system) and social capital (networks providing inside information).
May be limited to local schools due to transport issues, work commitments and less confidence navigating the system. Often lack the resources to move to catchment areas of desirable schools.
May find fewer schools willing to accommodate them as they might require extra resources and could affect league table positions. Some schools discourage applications.
The evidence on whether competition improves educational standards is mixed:
The key sociological debate is whether competition creates efficiency and excellence or whether it reinforces existing inequalities. The answer likely depends on how competition is implemented and what safeguards exist for disadvantaged groups.
When discussing competition between schools in your exam, make sure to consider both positive and negative aspects and link your answer to wider sociological theories (functionalism, Marxism, etc.). Use specific examples and case studies to support your points and consider how different social groups are affected differently by marketisation policies.