 Think of three ways in which school

has been really useful to you.

 Think of three ways in which school

has been very bad for your personal
development.
 To know some of the reasons why the school
system is important to the running of our society.

 To understand that there are a variety of

ideologies underlying the development of the
education system.
 To meet assessment deadlines

 To develop the ability to think critically

and in a sociological manner about a
social institution

 To contribute to whole class discussion

in an orderly fashion
 You are representing young people on a
Government commission designed to ask
students what subjects they think should be
taught as part of the National Curriculum.

 Choose eight subjects and be prepared to justify

them to the others in the class. Do not discuss
your ideas until asked.
NB: Some of these
points can be seen
as negative for
children as well as
positive
 Socialisation is the process of learning the rules
and knowledge valued by a culture.
 One of the most important agencies of secondary
socialisation is the education system.
 It is known as an agency of formal socialisation,
because schools and education systems
deliberately set out to influence people's
behaviour.
 How do schools set out to control your
behaviour and pass on norms and values?
Think of two ways in which you are taught
your cultural values.

 Further thinking: In what ways do the values

of the school clash with the personal values of
your home and family?
 Schools exist to control behaviour. Children are
taught to obey authority and respect rules.
 Jackson said that if they are to succeed, pupils do not
just require knowledge, but also conformity to the
socially acceptable behaviour of the school.
 Pat McNeil (1986) says that this includes knowledge
such as how to get on with teachers and other pupils,
how to cope with boredom and how to conform.
 This hidden control is known as the Hidden
Curriculum.
Mommy has taken the children to a fire station. Topsy and Kerry are girls and Tim is a boy.
 
When they came down from the ladder Mommy bought them each a little fire-fighter's
helmet.
 
'I'm going to be a fire-fighter when I grow up' said Kerry.
 
'Can girls be fire-fighters?' asked Topsy.
 
'I don't think so' said Tim.
 
'Yes they can!' said the lady who was selling the toy helmets.
 
'I'm a fire-fighter, just like Kerry's Dad. Women can be fire-fighters, but they have to be as
strong and as brave as the men.'
 
To show how strong she was, she gave Tim a fireman's lift.
Mommy has taken the children to a fire station. Topsy and Kerry are girls and Tim is a boy.
 
When they came down from the ladder Mommy bought them each a little fire-fighter's
helmet.
 
'I'm going to be a fire-fighter when I grow up' said Kerry.
 
'Can girls be fire-fighters?' asked Topsy.
 
'I don't think so' said Tim.
 
'Yes they can!' said the lady who was selling the toy helmets.
 
'I'm a fire-fighter, just like Kerry's Dad. Women can be fire-fighters, but they have to be as
strong and as brave as the men.'
 
To show how strong she was, she gave Tim a fireman's lift.
 The first government Act imposing compulsory
education in Britain was in 1880 and then partly
it was designed to end child labour in factories
and only affected children aged 5 - 10.
 It also served the purpose of providing a trained
workforce who could operate new machines and
technology.
Victorian coal miners
 In the 1970s, James Callaghan, a Labour Prime Minister
made a famous speech in Ruskin College, Oxford, where
he said that Britain was falling behind its industrial
competitors because the education system failed to
produce skilled and motivated workers.
 This has affected government policy and thinking for over
30 years. It influenced many of the changes made by the
Conservative governments of 19879 -1997. It formed the
basis of National Curriculum.
 There is still a strong vocational agenda in British schools
and colleges that involves examinations, key skills and
portfolio approaches to learning.
 Pierre Bourdieu (1930 –
2002)
 Marxist critic of education
system
 Uses idea of cultural capital
 Schools exist to advantage
the children of the middle
classes so they go on to take
the best and most interesting
jobs
 Learning is when people seek knowledge.
 Education is when knowledge is provided for people.
 Schools exist to
 Protect children from exploition
 Teach children cultural values
 Train children for the work they will do in adult life
 Socialise children to become acceptable adults
 Control children
 Depending on your perspective, some of these
characteristics of the education system can be seen as
positive, and others as negative.
Vocationalism is Of acquiring a skill or knowledge

Learning is the process Skills from people around us as we live our lives

Formal education systems are where Is the highly valued knowledge of our culture

Informal education is when we learn Refers to the values that a school teaches without necessarily
intending to.

Socialisation is the process of learning A route to high pay jobs and social mobility

If pupils are to succeed in school, They need to learn to conform to the rules of the school
The hidden curriculum Pass on gender roles through books and school organisation

Feminists say that schools People are taught specific skills and then tested in their knowledge
and understanding

Cultural capital The preparation of students for the world of work

In Wales , education was seen as The rules and knowledge valued by a culture
Learning is the process Of acquiring a skill or knowledge

Formal education systems are where People are taught specific skills and then tested in their
knowledge and understanding

Informal education is when we learn Skills from people around us as we live our lives

Socialisation is the process of learning The rules and knowledge valued by a culture

If pupils are to succeed in school, They need to learn to conform to the rules of the school

The hidden curriculum Refers to the values that a school teaches without necessarily
intending to.

Feminists say that schools Pass on gender roles through books and school organisation

Cultural capital Is the highly valued knowledge of our culture

Vocationalism is The preparation of students for the world of work

In Wales , education was seen as A route to high pay jobs and social mobility
1. Vocationalism is the preparation of students for the world of work.
2. Learning is the process of acquiring a skill or knowledge
3. Formal education systems are where people are taught specific
skills and then tested in their knowledge and understanding
4. Informal education is when we learn skills from people around us as
we live our lives
5. Socialisation is the process of learning the rules and knowledge
valued by a culture
6. If pupils are to succeed in school, they need to learn to conform to
the rules of the school
7. The hidden curriculum refers to the values that a school teaches
without necessarily intending to.
8. Feminists say that schools pass on gender roles through books and
school organisation
9. Cultural capital Is the highly valued knowledge of our culture
10. In Wales , education was seen as a route to high pay jobs and
social mobility
Discuss with as many people as you can the answer
to this question:

Is it the role of schools to correct the problems of

society?