1988 Education Reform Act | A Level Sociology | Education

Welcome to this tutori sociology topic video on education. In this video, we're going to look at the 1988 education reform act.

The 1988 Education Reform Act was introduced under the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher and was seen as being a transformative policy that redefined education in the UK aimed at raising standards and increasing efficiency. The act implemented market orientated reforms, standardized practices, and shifted the balance of power in educational management. The Education Reform Act is one of the

most debated educational policies in UK history due to its profound impact on schools, students, and educational inequality. There were a number of key changes that were introduced by the Education Reform Act, including the national curriculum. This was a standardized curriculum that was introduced for all students aged 5 to 16 in England and Wales. Core subjects such

as English, maths, and science were made compulsory along with foundational subjects such as history, geography, and art. This change aimed to ensure consistency in what was taught and to raise the standard of education across the country. The Education Reform Act also introduced standardized testing. These tests later called SATs were introduced at ages 7, 11 and 14 to measure students

progress in the national curriculum subjects. These results were used to rank schools offering measurable indicators of school performance and this performance data was published in league tables. This included exam results and attendance rates and the information was made available to parents to help them to choose schools. Schools were also allowed to opt out of