Introduction to Setting in Schools
Setting is one of the key processes that happens inside schools which can affect students' educational experiences and outcomes. It's a way of organising pupils into different teaching groups based on their perceived academic ability. In the UK education system, setting is a common practice that aims to tailor teaching to students' abilities, but it's also quite controversial.
Key Definitions:
- Setting: Grouping students by ability in specific subjects.
- Streaming: Grouping students by general ability across all subjects.
- Banding: Grouping students into broader ability bands (e.g., upper, middle, lower).
- Mixed ability teaching: Teaching students of different abilities together in the same class.
📚 Types of Ability Grouping
Schools use different methods to group students by ability:
- Setting: Students are placed in different ability groups for specific subjects. For example, a student might be in a top set for maths but a middle set for English.
- Streaming: Students are placed in the same ability group for all subjects based on their overall academic ability.
- Banding: Students are divided into broader ability bands (typically upper, middle and lower) and then further divided into classes within those bands.
💡 Why Schools Use Setting
Schools implement setting for several reasons:
- To tailor teaching to students' ability levels
- To allow higher-ability students to progress faster
- To give more support to lower-ability students
- To manage classroom behaviour more effectively
- To prepare students for exams at different levels
The Debate Around Setting
Setting is a hotly debated topic in education. Some educators and parents strongly support it, while others believe it can be harmful. Let's look at both sides of the argument.
👍 Arguments For Setting
- Teachers can pitch lessons at the right level
- More able students can be challenged appropriately
- Less able students get targeted support
- Can improve classroom management
- May improve overall academic results
👎 Arguments Against Setting
- Can create a self-fulfilling prophecy
- May damage self-esteem of lower set students
- Often difficult to move between sets
- Can reinforce social inequalities
- May lead to lower teacher expectations for lower sets
🤔 Key Questions
- Does setting improve or worsen educational outcomes?
- Who benefits most from setting?
- Is setting fair to all social groups?
- How does setting affect students' self-concept?
- What alternatives exist?
Research Evidence on Setting
Sociologists have studied setting extensively. The evidence presents a complex picture of its effects on students' educational experiences and outcomes.
Case Study Focus: The Sutton Trust Research
The Sutton Trust, a UK educational charity, reviewed evidence on setting and streaming and found that it appears to benefit higher-attaining pupils slightly but can be detrimental to the learning of mid-range and lower-attaining learners. On average, it can reduce achievement by one or two months per year for lower-attaining pupils. The research suggested that setting and streaming has a very small overall effect on attainment, but a negative effect for lower-attaining students.
The Social Dimensions of Setting
One of the most significant criticisms of setting is that it often reflects and reinforces existing social inequalities. Research has consistently shown patterns in which students tend to be placed in which sets:
👪 Social Class and Setting
Studies show that working-class students are disproportionately placed in lower sets, while middle-class students are more likely to be in higher sets, even when they have similar abilities. This happens for several reasons:
- Middle-class parents may be more likely to challenge set placements
- Teachers may have unconscious biases about students' abilities based on their social class
- Working-class students may have less access to educational resources at home
- Middle-class students may be more familiar with the language and behaviours valued in school
🌎 Ethnicity and Setting
Research has found that some ethnic minority groups are overrepresented in lower sets:
- Black Caribbean boys are particularly likely to be placed in lower sets
- Some Asian groups are more likely to be in higher sets
- These patterns may reflect teacher expectations and stereotypes
- Language barriers may affect initial assessments for some students
- Cultural factors may influence how students' abilities are perceived
The Impact of Setting on Students
Setting doesn't just affect academic outcomes - it can have profound effects on students' identities, behaviour and future opportunities.
💪 Effects on Higher Sets
Students in higher sets often experience:
- More challenging work and faster pace
- Higher teacher expectations
- More experienced and qualified teachers
- Better classroom behaviour and learning environment
- Enhanced self-confidence and academic identity
- Access to higher-tier exam papers
😕 Effects on Lower Sets
Students in lower sets often experience:
- Less challenging work and slower pace
- Lower teacher expectations
- Less experienced teachers or non-specialists
- More behaviour management issues
- Damaged self-esteem and 'anti-school' identities
- Limited to lower-tier exam papers with capped grades
The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
One of the key sociological concepts related to setting is the 'self-fulfilling prophecy', first described by Robert K. Merton. In education, this means that when students are labelled as 'low ability' and placed in lower sets, they may come to see themselves this way and behave accordingly. Teachers may have lower expectations of these students, give them less challenging work and pay less attention to them. Over time, these students may indeed achieve less - not because they were inherently less able, but because the prophecy of lower achievement became self-fulfilling.
Alternatives to Setting
Given the criticisms of setting, what alternatives do schools have?
👥 Mixed Ability Teaching
Mixed ability teaching involves teaching students of different abilities together. Advocates argue it:
- Avoids the negative labelling effects of setting
- Allows peer learning where stronger students help weaker ones
- Better reflects real-world social mixing
- Reduces stigma for lower-achieving students
- Can use differentiation within the class to meet different needs
📝 Flexible Grouping
Some schools use more flexible approaches:
- Temporary groups for specific tasks or topics
- Regular reassessment and movement between groups
- Different groupings for different aspects of a subject
- Student choice in some groupings
- Combination of mixed ability and setting depending on the subject
Conclusion: The Sociology of Setting
Setting in schools is not just an educational practice but a social process with significant implications. Sociologists are interested in setting because it reveals how schools can reproduce social inequalities while claiming to be meritocratic. The debate around setting touches on key sociological concepts like labelling, self-fulfilling prophecy, social reproduction and educational inequality.
When studying setting for your iGCSE Sociology, remember to consider both the intended purposes of setting and its unintended consequences. Think about who benefits from setting and who might be disadvantaged by it. Consider how setting might interact with other social factors like class, ethnicity and gender to shape students' educational experiences and outcomes.