Education Policy: Coalition & Conservative Policies from 2010 (AQA A Level Sociology): Revision Note

Education policies from 2010

• From 2010 onwards, UK education policy has undergone significant reform

  • The Conservative–Liberal Democrat Coalition (2010–2015) was led by David Cameron

  • Successive Conservative governments (2015–2024) under David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak

• These governments built on earlier New Right and New Labour ideas, promoting further marketisation, privatisation, and school autonomy, while reducing direct state intervention

Key developments and reforms

• 2010

  • The coalition government takes office under David Cameron

  • Academies Act introduced:

    • All outstanding state and faith schools are allowed to convert to academies

    • Encouraged private sponsors and educational businesses to run schools, furthering privatisation

  • Free Schools authorised:

    • State-funded but run by parents, charities, or religious groups

    • By 2014, 331 free schools had opened or been approved

  • Higher education tuition fee cap raised from £3,000 to £9,000 per year

• 2011

  • Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) abolished in England and Wales, cutting support for post-16 students from low-income families

  • AimHigher programme scrapped: previously aimed to widen participation in higher education

  • Michael Gove announces school rebuilding plan using Private Finance Initiative (PFI)—further privatisation of school infrastructure

• 2013

  • School leaving age raised to 17 as part of efforts to reduce youth unemployment and encourage further education

  • Curriculum reforms introduced:

    • Emphasis on traditional teaching methods, core knowledge, and "rigour"

    • Shift toward academic qualifications, such as tougher GCSEs and A-levels

• 2014

  • Pupil Premium introduced:

    • Extra funding allocated to schools for each child eligible for free school meals (FSM)

    • Aimed to close the attainment gap between disadvantaged and better-off students

  • Free school meals for all children in reception, Year 1, and Year 2 were introduced in England

• 2015

  • School leaving age raised to 18, requiring all young people to stay in education, training, or apprenticeships until adulthood

  • Conservatives win a majority and continue policies promoting academisation, standardised testing, and school accountability

• 2016

  • University grants abolished for the poorest students and replaced with loans, adding to concerns about access to higher education

    • Critics warn that this may deter high-achieving students from disadvantaged backgrounds from applying to university

• 2017-2024

  • Continued expansion of academies and free schools (2017)

  • Greater focus on discipline, behaviour, and attendance, including government-backed policies like mobile phone bans and attendance crackdowns (2019)

  • Growing concern around teacher recruitment, mental health support, and inequality exacerbated by COVID-19 (2020)

  • Introduction of T-levels (vocational qualifications) to improve skills-based education (2020)

Evaluation of Coalition and Conservative education policies

• Raised standards and curriculum rigour

  • Emphasis on core subjects, tougher exams, and a knowledge-rich curriculum aimed to improve academic performance

  • Some schools, particularly academies, have shown improved Ofsted ratings and exam results

• Support for disadvantaged pupils

  • Policies like the Pupil Premium and National Tutoring Programme were designed to close the attainment gap post-COVID

  • These aimed to target support where it was most needed

• Increased inequality

  • Abolishing EMA and maintenance grants, alongside £9,000+ tuition fees, made post-16 and higher education less accessible to working-class students.

  • Marketisation encouraged social segregation between schools

• Overemphasis on testing and league tables

  • The system prioritises exam performance and school rankings, leading to teaching that focuses on "teaching to the test" rather than deep learning

  • This can increase pressure on students and staff while narrowing the curriculum (e.g., reduced arts provision)

• Teacher retention and workload

  • Ongoing issues with teacher recruitment, retention, and workload stress have affected school performance and morale

  • Government responses have been criticised as inadequate, especially post-COVID