Remember It!

The stages of the education system

1.) Pre-school or early years education 2.) Primary education 3.) Secondary education 5. Further education and 5.) Higher education

Influences on educational achievement

Home factors: Parental values; educational background; economic circumstances; cultural background.

School factors: The school curriculum; self-fulfilling prophecy: peer pressure; school ethos.

Government policies: Schools’ admission policies: equal opportunities policies and National League tables.

Types of Education

Private, state, faith, home-education and special needs.

The Education Reform Act (1998)

SATs tests for pupils aged 7, 11 and 14

The purpose of education according to functionalists

1.) To serve the needs of the economy 2.) Selection 3.) Enabling social mobility 4.) Secondary socialization and 5.) Social control.

The purpose of education according to Marxists

1.) Breeding competition 2.) Reproducing the class system 3.) Maintaining the interests of the ruling classes.

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Test It!

1. What different types of secondary school are there? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these?
2. What are the five stages of the education system in the UK?
3. What is a self-fulfilling prophecy and how does this relate to educational achievement in schools?
4. What can you say about the relationship between a pupil’s background and his educational achievement?
5. Describe one way in which governments have attempted to check what happens in schools and explain what effect such monitoring may have on a school.
6. Discuss how far sociologists would agree with the idea that encouraging pupils to adopt British values has become the most important function of the education system.
7. Discuss how far sociologists would agree that parental attitudes are the most important influence on a child’s educational achievement.

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Some top tips!

1. Print out the Test It! Questions – it will allow you to replicate exam conditions and also allows you to give your eyes a rest from the computer screen whilst doing your crucial revision.
2. Make a copy of the Remember It! Section and put in a place that you often look at. i.e. front of a journal, next to a mirror, on a kitchen cupboard door, etc. That way you can do some cheeky sociology revision whilst doing those things you have to do!