Processes Within Schools » Streaming in Schools

What you'll learn this session

Study time: 30 minutes

The definition and purpose of streaming in schools
Different types of ability grouping (streaming, setting, banding)
Arguments for and against streaming
Research evidence on the effects of streaming
Social class, ethnicity and gender patterns in streaming
Alternative approaches to grouping students

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Introduction to Streaming in Schools

Streaming is one of the key processes that takes place within schools, affecting how students are organised and taught. It's a practice that has been debated for decades in educational sociology, with important implications for educational achievement and equality of opportunity.

Key Definitions:

Streaming: The practice of dividing pupils into fixed ability groups for all subjects based on their perceived general ability.
Setting: Grouping pupils by ability for specific subjects only (also called 'regrouping').
Banding: Dividing pupils into broader ability bands (e.g. upper, middle, lower) with movement between bands possible.
Mixed ability teaching: Teaching pupils of different abilities together in the same class.

📚 Types of Ability Grouping

Streaming - Students are placed in the same ability group for all subjects. For example, a student in the 'top stream' will be in that same group for maths, English, science, etc.

Setting - Students are grouped by ability for specific subjects. For example, a student might be in the top set for maths but a middle set for English.

Banding - Students are placed in broader ability bands (typically 2-3 bands) with some movement possible between bands.

💡 The Purpose of Streaming

Schools use streaming to:

Match teaching to students' abilities
Allow teachers to focus on a narrower range of abilities
Enable more able students to progress faster
Provide appropriate support for less able students
Manage classroom behaviour and engagement

Historical Context of Streaming

Streaming became widespread in UK schools after the 1944 Education Act, which created grammar schools, secondary modern schools and technical schools. Within these schools, further streaming often took place. The move towards comprehensive education in the 1960s and 70s initially reduced streaming, but it has remained common in various forms.

Historical Snapshot

In the 1950s and 60s, the 11+ exam was the ultimate form of streaming, dividing children into different types of schools. Those who passed went to grammar schools, while those who failed attended secondary modern schools. This system was criticised for determining children's educational futures at such a young age.

Arguments For and Against Streaming

👍 Arguments For

Teachers can tailor lessons to a specific ability level
More able students can be challenged appropriately
Less able students receive targeted support
Can improve classroom management
May improve overall academic results

👎 Arguments Against

Creates a 'self-fulfilling prophecy' for lower streams
Can damage self-esteem and motivation
Often reflects and reinforces social inequalities
Reduces social mixing between different groups
Lower streams may receive poorer quality teaching

🤔 Sociological Perspectives

Functionalist: Streaming helps allocate students to appropriate roles based on ability.

Marxist: Streaming reproduces class inequality by channelling working-class pupils into lower streams.

Interactionist: Focuses on how streaming affects teacher-student interactions and labelling.

Research Evidence on Streaming

Sociological research has investigated the effects of streaming on educational achievement and equality. Key findings include:

Social Patterns in Streaming

Research consistently shows that streaming is not simply based on 'pure ability' but reflects wider social inequalities:

Social Class: Working-class pupils are overrepresented in lower streams, even when they have similar test scores to middle-class pupils.
Ethnicity: Some ethnic minority groups (particularly Black Caribbean and some Asian groups) are disproportionately placed in lower streams.
Gender: Boys are often overrepresented in lower streams, while girls tend to be placed in middle streams.

Sociologists argue these patterns reflect teacher expectations and unconscious bias rather than actual ability differences.

Case Study: Keddie's Classroom Knowledge

Nell Keddie's research (1971) found that teachers judged students' ability not just on academic performance but also on their behaviour, appearance and speech patterns. Middle-class students who displayed 'appropriate' cultural traits were more likely to be seen as 'able' and placed in higher streams.

The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

One of the most important concepts in understanding streaming is the 'self-fulfilling prophecy', first identified by sociologist Robert K. Merton:

💫 How the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Works

Students are placed in ability streams based on tests or teacher judgements
Teachers form expectations about students based on their stream
Teachers interact differently with students in different streams
Students internalise these expectations and begin to act accordingly
Original streaming decisions are 'confirmed' by resulting performance

💭 Research Evidence

Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) - Their 'Pygmalion in the Classroom' study showed that when teachers were told certain randomly selected students were 'bloomers' (high potential), those students showed greater improvement, demonstrating teacher expectations affect performance.

Ball (1981) - Found that being in a lower stream led to negative labelling, reduced motivation and anti-school subcultures.

Streaming and Educational Inequality

Streaming has significant implications for educational inequality:

Resource allocation: Higher streams often receive more experienced teachers and better resources
Curriculum access: Lower streams may be taught a restricted curriculum, limiting future options
Peer effects: Students in lower streams miss out on the positive influence of higher-achieving peers
Teacher expectations: Teachers may have lower expectations of students in bottom streams
Identity and labelling: Being in a lower stream can lead to negative self-labelling and reduced aspirations

Case Study: Hargreaves' Social Relations in a Secondary School

David Hargreaves (1967) studied a boys' secondary modern school and found clear differences between streams. The higher streams accepted school values and worked hard, while lower streams developed an anti-school subculture. Teachers had different expectations of each stream, reinforcing these differences.

Alternative Approaches

Schools have developed various alternatives to traditional streaming:

👥 Mixed Ability Teaching

Students of all abilities learn together in the same classroom. Teachers use differentiated tasks and resources to meet all needs. This approach promotes social mixing and avoids labelling effects.

📝 Flexible Grouping

Students are grouped differently for different activities, sometimes by ability and sometimes by other criteria (interests, learning styles). Groups change regularly to avoid fixed labelling.

🚀 Mastery Learning

All students work towards the same goals but at different paces. Students only move on when they've mastered current content, with additional support provided as needed.

Conclusion: Evaluating Streaming

Streaming remains controversial in educational sociology. The evidence suggests:

Streaming may benefit higher-ability students but often disadvantages those in lower streams
It tends to reinforce existing social inequalities rather than promote social mobility
The negative psychological effects on students in lower streams are significant
Alternative approaches that avoid rigid ability grouping may promote greater equality
If schools do use streaming, they need strategies to prevent negative labelling and ensure all students receive high-quality teaching

As a sociology student, you should be able to evaluate streaming from different theoretical perspectives and use research evidence to support your arguments about its effects on educational achievement and equality.

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