AS SOCIOLOGY- CLASS & EDUCATION RESEARCH

THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL, ECONOMIC & SOCIAL CAPITAL IN A

MARKETISED SYSTEM OF EDUCATION

In a marketised system of education, customers (parents & students), in

theory, can choose where they want to send their children. They can ‘shop’

around for the kind of school which is suited to their needs. Such a marketised

system encourages diversity in the school system and therefore we end up

with an increasing variety of different types of ‘products’ i.e. schools on offer.

Activity 1- Types of school:

Go to https://www.gov.uk/types-of-school and read about the different types of schools in the British education

system. The extra links below will also help you complete the table.

Complete the following grid:

Activity 2- Choosing a school

Parents and students are encouraged to make use of performance data on different schools, so they can make an

informed choice on which school is best for them.

Use the following websites to look up and compare schools in your local area and then answer the question below.

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report

http://www.theguardian.com/education/gcse-schools-guide

Type of school Definition Criticism against this type of school? Comprehensive or ‘maintained’ schools

Academies

http://antiacademies.org.uk/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-13274090

Free schools

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-13266290

Faith schools

Activity 3- The challenges of ‘choice’

If a student does not receive a place in the school of their choice, some parents may choose to appeal against this

decision.

The following link will take you to mumsnet- a popular website for parents, which includes advice/discussion forums

on a number of issues relating to children, including education.

http://www.mumsnet.com/education/secondary/admission-appeals

Carefully read the advice given to parents on how to successfully win a school admissions appeal and then write an

answer to the following questions:

How easy was it to make sense of all the information available? Do you think all parents will be equally able to

make use of this information? Or will some parents have an advantage? Explain your answer.

1. Refer to Gewirtz’s categories for 3 types of parents (see Webb, p.100). Which type are most likely to refer to

such a website? Who is it aimed at?

2. Write a few paragraphs explaining why parents with economic, cultural and social capital are more likely to

get their children into the school of their choice. Refer to quotes/examples from the advice given to illustrate

your explanation.