Assess How the Policy of Marketisation and Parentocracy Creates Class Inequality

Abbie Ludlam

Assess how the policy of marketisation and parentocracy creates class inequality

Marketisation was introduced as part of the ERA in 1988 and is favoured by the New Right. Like functionalists the New Right believe that the educational system runs on meritocratic principles giving each child the same chance to succeed. However they also believe that some children are naturally more talented than others. The New Right are against state run schools as they believe they take a ‘one size fits all’ approach meaning local consumers such as pupils, parents and employers have no say. The New Rights solution to this ‘one size fits all’ approach is marketisation which is reducing direct state control over education and increasing competition between schools and parental choice of school. However this solution reproduces class inequality by exam league tables and the funding formula making it easier for middle class parents to take advantage of the available choices, therefore leaving working class parents and pupils at a disadvantage. In contrast to this Ball believes that marketisation gives the appearance of creating a ‘parentocracy’ which makes it appear that all parents have the same freedom to choose which school to send their children too which they do not, he believes that ‘parentocracy is a myth’.

Exam league tables is a policy which promotes marketisation but is seen by Ball and Whitty as reproducing class inequality because it enables middle class parents to take advantage of the available choices leaving working class parents at a disadvantage when it comes to choosing schools. Exam league tables is a policy of publishing each school’s exam results in a league table ensuring the schools with the best exam results are more in demand. Parents are attracted to the schools with the highest...