Children from poor homes are disadvantaged in education

A,d        Educational policies have changed to tackle the problem with pupils from         working class backgrounds; this was called the Education Reform Act (1988).         The government wanted to make a more standardised curriculum around the         three core subjects of English, Maths and Science, plus seven foundation         subjects for pupils aged 5-16.  These         policies have included Foundation         schools that were previously known as grant- maintained schools, and returned         them to the control of the local authority so they were more equally         funded.  Specialist schools were opened and allowed them to select the         intake of pupils as these specialised in one particular aspect of the         curriculum.  A number of failing schools were identified and a “Fresh         Start” policy was instigated.  This involved closing a failing school that was         generally in a working class area and re launched on the same site.  The         differences would be that the school would have a new name, new         “super         head” and staffing and given two years in which to improve statistics.  A         “New Deal” initiative was brought in to help the long term unemployed,

         Single mothers, welfare dependent parents and those living in poverty.          These were known as the socially excluded groups and are generally         living in deprived inner-city areas.  Working class pupils are seen to not have         the same style of living as middle class pupils and do not start life with the         same knowledge that can assist their education.  A lot of the barriers the         working class are up against are seen to be through material and cultural         deprivation.  Children from wealthier backgrounds tend to have more access         to books, computers and other educational recourses outside of school         compared with working class children.  There is also the factor of middle class         parents being able to buy homes in better areas, there for their children         going to better schools.  This is known as “Selection by Mortgage”.  Middle         class children are seen to have an advantage over the working class as schools         are run with middle-class values.  Teachers are known to have a vision of the         ideal pupil as being a working class one.  Their perception of working class         children is that they may be more difficult to control and have no discipline.          In addition, they believe them to be generally lacking in motivation.  This         results in the working class pupil automatically being at a distinct         disadvantage.  Although the government has shown ways in which to deal         with the disadvantages through educational policies this is evidence that         working class children are automatically discriminated against due to their         culture and background alone even before they have started their education.