Processes Within Schools » School Organisation and Achievement

What you'll learn this session

Study time: 30 minutes

How school organisation affects student achievement
Different types of school systems and their impact
The role of streaming, setting and mixed ability grouping
How labelling theory applies in educational settings
Key sociological studies on school organisation
How to evaluate different approaches to school organisation

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Introduction to School Organisation and Achievement

How schools are organised can have a huge impact on how well students do. From the way students are grouped to the type of school they attend, these organisational factors can influence educational outcomes in significant ways.

Key Definitions:

School organisation: The way schools structure their teaching, group students and arrange their curriculum.
Educational achievement: The level of success students attain in their studies, usually measured by exam results and qualifications.
Streaming: Placing students in the same ability group for all subjects.
Setting: Placing students in different ability groups for different subjects.
Mixed ability grouping: Teaching students of different abilities together in the same class.

Types of School Systems

The UK has seen different school systems over time, each with its own impact on student achievement.

🏫 Comprehensive Schools

Schools that accept students of all abilities. Introduced in the 1960s to provide equal opportunities for all students regardless of academic ability. Most state secondary schools in the UK are comprehensives.

📖 Grammar Schools

Selective schools that admit students based on their performance in the 11+ exam. Only about 163 grammar schools remain in England. Critics argue they increase social division while supporters say they promote social mobility.

🎓 Academies

State-funded schools that operate independently of local authorities. They have more freedom over curriculum, staff pay and school hours. First introduced in 2000 and expanded significantly since 2010.

🚀 Free Schools

A type of academy set up by parents, teachers, charities or businesses. Introduced in 2010 as part of school choice reforms. They have similar freedoms to academies.

Ability Grouping and Its Effects

How schools group students by ability can significantly affect their educational outcomes and experiences.

👥 Streaming

Students are placed in the same ability group for all subjects. Once common in UK schools but less popular now. Research shows it can demotivate students in lower streams and create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

💬 Setting

Students are placed in different ability groups for different subjects. More flexible than streaming as it recognises students may excel in some subjects but not others. Now the most common form of ability grouping in UK secondary schools.

🎈 Mixed Ability

Students of different abilities learn together. Advocates say it prevents labelling and promotes inclusive education. Critics argue it makes it harder to meet the needs of all students effectively.

Labelling Theory in Education

Labelling theory helps explain how teacher expectations and school organisation can affect student achievement.

How Labelling Works in Schools

When teachers label students as "bright," "average," or "slow," these labels can become self-fulfilling prophecies. Students often live up or down to the expectations placed on them.

👇 Negative Effects of Labelling

Students in lower sets/streams may develop anti-school subcultures
Lower teacher expectations can lead to less challenging work
Students may internalise negative labels and stop trying
Can reinforce existing social inequalities

👍 The Pygmalion Effect

This refers to the phenomenon where higher expectations lead to improved performance. Rosenthal and Jacobson's famous study (1968) showed that when teachers were told certain students would "bloom" academically, these randomly selected students actually showed greater improvement - simply because teachers expected them to!

Case Study Focus: Ball's Study of Beachside Comprehensive

Stephen Ball (1981) studied a comprehensive school that changed from streaming to mixed ability teaching. He found that streaming had created distinct pupil subcultures, with students in lower streams developing anti-school attitudes. When mixed ability teaching was introduced, these attitudes persisted, showing how deeply ingrained the effects of labelling can be. This demonstrates that simply changing organisational structures may not be enough to overcome the effects of previous labelling.

Social Class and School Organisation

Research consistently shows that school organisation can affect different social classes in different ways.

Who Benefits from Different Systems?

Evidence suggests that certain types of school organisation tend to benefit middle-class students more than working-class students:

Selection systems (like grammar schools) - Middle-class children are more likely to pass entrance exams, often due to private tutoring and greater cultural capital
Setting and streaming - Working-class students are disproportionately placed in lower sets/streams, even when they have similar abilities to middle-class peers
School choice policies - Middle-class parents are better able to navigate complex admission systems and move to catchment areas of desirable schools

Case Study Focus: Gillborn and Youdell's "Rationing Education"

In their 2000 study, Gillborn and Youdell found that schools focused resources on students they believed could improve from D to C grades at GCSE (what they called the "A-to-C economy"). This meant some students were written off as unlikely to achieve, with working-class and ethnic minority students particularly affected. They called this "educational triage" - like medical triage where resources are allocated based on perceived chances of success.

School Effectiveness Research

Not all schools with similar intakes achieve the same results. School effectiveness research looks at what makes some schools more successful than others.

What Makes an Effective School?

Research has identified several organisational factors that seem to improve achievement:

👨‍🏫 Leadership

Strong, purposeful leadership from headteachers who focus on teaching quality and have clear goals.

📝 Monitoring

Regular assessment of student progress and using data to identify areas for improvement.

🎯 High Expectations

A culture where all students are expected to achieve and challenging targets are set.

Evaluating Different Approaches

There's no perfect system of school organisation - each approach has strengths and limitations.

✅ Arguments For Selection/Setting

Allows teaching to be targeted at appropriate levels
More able students can be stretched
May improve overall attainment in measurable outcomes
Some evidence that grammar schools improve social mobility for those who attend them

❌ Arguments Against Selection/Setting

Can reinforce existing inequalities
May damage self-esteem of those in lower groups
Selection often reflects social background rather than pure ability
Can create a two-tier system where some students are written off

Key Sociological Perspectives

Different sociological perspectives offer contrasting views on school organisation:

💼 Functionalist

See ability grouping as meritocratic - it helps allocate students to appropriate roles based on their abilities. Selection systems help identify the most talented individuals regardless of background.

✊ Marxist

View school organisation as reproducing class inequality. Selection and setting create a divided workforce and legitimise inequality by making it seem based on ability rather than privilege.

💭 Interactionist

Focus on how labels created by organisational systems affect student identities and self-concept, leading to self-fulfilling prophecies.

Conclusion: The Ongoing Debate

The debate about how best to organise schools continues. While research provides valuable insights, there's no one-size-fits-all solution. What's clear is that school organisation matters - it can either help overcome social inequalities or reinforce them. The challenge for educators and policymakers is to create systems that provide genuine opportunities for all students to achieve their potential, regardless of their background.

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