Analysis the admission policy of primary and secondary schools in the UK

Education Act 2002/2006 - Schools which have innovative ideas to improve education, but are prevented by an existing law from implementing them, will be able to apply for exemption from that law. Schools which demonstrate a high standard of teaching will be given exemption national controls such as the national curriculum, agreements on teachers' pay and conditions and the way the scheduling of the school day and terms. The act imposes various minimum standards for independent schools in areas such as health and safety and space requirements

Initially a school had to source funding of £2 million from businesses, charities or faith bodies to become an academy, however this requirement changed in 2010. The Government decided to allow any school within England the chance to achieve academy status with the involvement of the local community. An academy is obliged to follow the National Curriculum, but has certain freedom around its delivery. Its funding comes from central government rather than the LEA, which would be at the same level per pupil as a maintained school. This allows the academy to choose how their budget is spent in a way that’s most beneficial to its students. (L/O 1.2)

The idea of a universal education system is criticized by many, because the idea of giving everyone a chance to prosper, has a detrimental effect on government resources; and the value placed on a post- secondary education, is somewhat diluted. This is wrong though, as people be judged on their academic skills, character and drive above their economic restrictions. The finances which a young person is born into, should not determine the life and career which they have. It has been shown that a college education increases a person’s earning power, but this education is contingent on money, which dictates your chance of achieving a recognized education. This is against the ‘education gospel’ which supports the idea that schooling should be for everyone, and that the more people who are educated, the less prejudices there will be in society. Education is universal, but post-secondary education, and one which leads people to positions of power and influence, is not. It is for the select few, of whom have the finances and opportunities to prosper that other, more underprivileged people do not, and that needs to change.

Coordinated admissions aim to ensure that as far as is practical, every child in a local authority area who has applied in the admissions round receives a place. And with the exception of grammar schools, who do not have to take pupils who are not up to scratch academically, schools must take all comers. Even those with challenging behaviour. Youngsters with special educational needs who don’t have a statement are treated in the same way as everyone else although this may sometimes require reasonable adjustments for them in the school or particular support for any special educational needs, as defined in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

On October 1st 2010, the Equality Act came into force. This consolidated and strengthened the previous equality laws. This act prevents children and their families from being discriminated, victimised or harassed because of their age, sex, race, religion or disability. Through this act each child, whether already in the setting, or applying through admissions, will be treated in a fair and equal way, with aims for all children to have reasonable provisions to allow them to access all educational areas. Although a school is not expected to make adjustments that are not reasonable, they are expected to make general adjustments, reasonably planned within the school’s approach to planning for SEN children. The Equality Act 2010 outlines four definitions of discrimination, direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, discrimination arising from a disability and harassment and victimisation. This allows school settings to have clearer expectations and implement them. The Equality Act 2010 and the Discrimination Disability Act (DDA) (2005) both aim to ensure each and every child has access to a broad and balanced academic and social curriculum. Following this code of practice in a school, confirms that all members of staff provide the same high-quality teaching to children, as well as displaying professional behaviour.

Background and Facts: The Education for All Handicapped Children Act was passed in 1975. It required public schools to give equal educational opportunities for children who suffered from a disability. The school would work together with the child’s parents to form an educational plan. An important piece of this law was the ‘stay-put’ provision. During a dispute of a disabled child’s educational placement, the child was entitled to remain in their current setting until the matter was resolved.

|Specialist schools |Specialist schools are permitted to select up to 10% of their pupils intake on the basis of their ‘aptitude’ for the schools |

* Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 – Makes it unlawful for educational providers to discriminate against pupils with a special educational need or a disability.

Acting on the recommendations of the 1987 Black Report, the British government brought in the 1988 Education Act. Parents were treated as if they were customers and pupils became both clients and products. What is important about the act is that it involved increased state control over the content of education. The act brought; the introduction of the National Curriculum, with achievement targets set for all pupils aged 7, 11, 14 and 16, Schools being allowed to opt out of local Education Authority (LEA) control if the majority of the parents voting in a ballot wished to do so, the financial management of schools was switched from the LEA to the boards of governors and City Technology Colleges were introduced.

Primary, Secondary and Grammar schools are all governed by the Local Education Authority (LEA). These schools determine their own admissions policy. Local groups such as childcare classes and adult education may develop the use of the school facilities.

Australia is very a multicultural and diverse country. Consequently schools are faced with many diverse students of different abilities and backgrounds. To ensure equity and fairness among students, policies and legislations have been put into place to ensure diversity is being catered for and that no student is being excluded from the education system. Some of these policies and legislation include: The Disability Discrimination Act 1992, The Salamanca Statement, Disability Standards 2005, Inclusive Education Statement, Disabilities Services Act QLD 2006 and the Melbourne Declaration.

By using the eleven-plus examination (exam taken at around the age of 11) to test pupils' intelligence and abilities in English and arithmetic, three groups of children were identified. Firstly, there were academic pupils, who went to the secondary grammar schools. These schools provided the main route to university. Secondly, there was a group of practical pupils, who were interested in applied science or applied art. They went to the technical schools. Remaining pupils, mostly working class, went to the secondary modern schools where they received a more basic education. Thus, the secondary educational system set up as a result of the 1944 Act was a tripartite system - three types of schools, which, it was argued, were different but equal. As a result, the Act's aim of providing every child with an education was achieved, and the number of pupils in the schools began to rise rapidly. This can be clearly seen in Figure 1:

Free Education was deemed a necessity as there are a lot of families who are on benefits and it enabled all young people to be successful learners, confident and learn to be responsible. It also opened opportunities for young people and children to be successful through life. The legislation that brought this into effect was the Education Act 1944 and the current legislations for schools are Education Act 1980, Education Act 2002, and Education Act 2016. However there are current issues as there is arise in young people refusing to attend school due to bullying, emotional needs, peer pressure and there is a lack of qualified teachers.

Education admission, Education institution are part of a very important process in selection, certification and maintain or reducing social inequalities. For example in the last centuries Scotland was the case study of a significant change in education system from selective to comprehensive system (Ianelli & Paterson, 2005). This has received a very optimistic positive result. Moreover the comprehensive system in Scotland education was decreasing social inequalities in education.

From the past, education has always been seen as a crucial aspect of our lives. In 1968, Durkheim stated that ‘society can survive only if there exists among its members a sufficient degree of homogeneity; education perpetuates and reinforces this homogeneity by fixing in the child, from the beginning, the essential similarities that collective life demands.’ Education has become even more indispensable as more instruments start to recognise the right to education. For instance, Article 2 of the First Protocol (A2P1) of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and Article 28(1) of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This essay will assess the effect of the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA 1998) in protecting the right to education in England. It is noted that the HRA 1998 provide a relatively limited protection as compared to the rest of the instruments. But looking in light of the proposed reform on HRA 1998, the current protection provided by the HRA 1998 has undeniably secured certain protections toward the children’s educational rights. Firstly, this essay looks into the scope of protections that are provided by the HRA 1998. Secondly, the effectiveness of A2P1. Thirdly, the influence of other conventions with regards to the right to education. Lastly, the essay will conclude by looking at the future reform of the HRA 1998.