New Labour and Secondary Education, 1994–2010

Abstract

01 02 New Labour and Secondary Education, 1994-2010 assesses New Labour's policy towards secondary education in Britain. Placing New Labour's policy in the historical and political context of British education policies since 1944, Clyde Chitty shows that, in numerous respects, New Labour education policy was a continuation of the policies pursued by the education ministers of Margaret Thatcher and John Major. 08 02 To come 19 02 MAJOR SCHOLAR : Chitty is one of the most important education scholars in the UK. IMPORTANT ISSUE : This is an issue of real topical interest, mostly to the UK, but class TIMELY : It will be an early attempt to assess the achievements and shortcomings of the 1997-2010 Labour Government CONTRIBUTES TO DEBATE : It will be a major contribution to the ongoing debate about the purposes of education class CONTEXTUAL ASSESSMENT : It will attempt to assess movements in Britain in the light of international developments 02 02 New Labour and Secondary Education, 1994-2010 assesses New Labour's policy towards secondary education in Britain. It shows that, in many respects, New Labour education policy was a continuation of the policies pursued by the education ministers of Margaret Thatcher and John Major. 04 02 1. Introduction 2. The Origins of Political Parties in Britain: Consensus or Conflict? 3. Labour Education Policy, 1944 to 1994: Fifty Years of Missed Opportunities and Uneasy Compromises 4. A Change of Direction: The Origins of New Labour's Education Philosophy 5. Choice, Diversity, and Selection: The Steady Abandonment of the Comprehensive Ideal 6. The Privatization of Education 7. The Erosion of the National Curriculum 8. International Perspectives 9. Conclusion 13 02 Clyde Chitty is Visiting Professor of Education at the Institute of Education, University of London, UK. He is the author, co-author, or editor of over 30 books and reports on education, including Thirty Years On (with Caroline Benn, 1996), Education Policy in Britain (2004, 2009), and Eugenics, Race and Intelligence in Education (2007). He was formerly Goldsmiths Professor of Policy and Management in Education at Goldsmiths College, University of London.