Privatisation of education | AQA A-Level Sociology
Updated: 3 days ago
For Specification 7192
AQA A-Level Sociology | Free Revision Notes
Estimated study time:Â 50 minutes
Privatisation of education A-Level Sociology revision examines the significance of privatisation as an educational policy and how sociologists may assess its effects on the structure and role of education. AQA specifically requires students to study privatisation, alongside selection and marketisation, and to consider educational policies in relation to the structure, role, impact, experience of and access to education.  This lesson builds on market-oriented educational policy [Marketisation of education] and prepares you to examine policies intended to reduce educational inequality [Equality of educational opportunity and outcome].
Learning Objectives 🎯
By the end of this revision page, you should be able to:
Explain what the supplied sources establish about privatisation in education.
Explain why privatisation is sociologically significant as an educational policy.
Examine possible effects of privatisation on the structure of education.
Examine possible effects of privatisation on the role and impact of education.
Apply ideas about social differentiation, power, structure and social action to educational privatisation.
Evaluate competing sociological interpretations of educational privatisation.
These objectives correspond to Lesson 17 of the supplied AQA A-Level Sociology Plan.
Revision Notes đź“š
Privatisation of education A-Level Sociology revision overview
AQA requires students to understand the significance of educational policies including:
selection
marketisation
privatisation
policies intended to achieve greater equality of opportunity or outcome
Students must consider the significance of these policies for understanding:
the structure of education
the role of education
the impact of education
the experience of education
access to education
AQA also requires students to consider the impact of globalisation on educational policy.
Privatisation should therefore be studied as part of the wider sociology of educational policy, rather than as an isolated term.
What does privatisation mean in education?
There is an important limitation in the supplied source material.
The AQA specification explicitly identifies privatisation as required educational-policy content, but it does not define the term or identify the particular policies and processes that constitute educational privatisation.
What can safely be established is that privatisation is an educational-policy area whose significance AQA requires students to examine in relation to educational structure, role, impact, experience and access.
Why is privatisation sociologically significant?
AQA asks students to understand the significance of privatisation, rather than merely recognise the word.
This means students should consider what consequences a privatisation policy might have for education.
A useful analytical framework is:
educational policy
↓
privatisation
↓
possible changes to educational structure or relationships
↓
possible effects on the role, impact and experience of education
↓
possible consequences for access or outcomes
The word possible matters.
The specification does not state that privatisation has one inevitable consequence.
Privatisation and educational structure
AQA specifically requires students to consider educational policy in relation to the structure of education.
Structure concerns the institutional arrangements through which education is organised.
A sociologist studying privatisation could therefore ask:
Does privatisation change how education is institutionally organised?
Does it change relationships between different parts of education?
Does it create new organisational arrangements?
Does it change where responsibility for education is located?
Do different educational institutions experience the policy differently?
Structure matters sociologically
Educational structures shape the social contexts within which:
schools operate
teachers work
pupils experience education
educational opportunities are organised
This means a change in structure could potentially have wider consequences.
A broad structural sequence is:
policy → institutional structure → educational experience
However, evidence is required to demonstrate each relationship.
Privatisation and the role of education
AQA also requires students to examine the significance of policy for the role of education.
This connects directly with sociological views of what education does in society [The role and functions of education].
Questions sociologists might ask include:
Does privatisation alter the role performed by educational institutions?
Does responsibility for particular aspects of education change?
Are the purposes of education interpreted differently under privatisation?
Do different sociological perspectives judge these changes differently?
The specification provides the issue for study but does not prescribe the answer.
Role and structure are related
The structure and role of education should not necessarily be treated as completely separate.
Changes to the institutional structure of education might affect the role educational organisations perform.
A possible relationship is:
change in educational structure → possible change in educational role
Equally, policies developed because of a particular view of education's role may produce structural changes.
The relationship may therefore work in both directions.
Privatisation and the impact of education
AQA additionally uses the term impact.
This encourages students to examine what happens as a result of educational policies rather than only describing how they are designed.
A strong sociological analysis distinguishes:
policy intention
from:
observed policy impact
A policy can have a particular stated purpose without necessarily producing exactly that result.
đź“Ś Exam point:Â An account of what a policy is intended to achieve is not the same as evidence showing what it actually achieves.
Intended and actual consequences
A useful sequence when evaluating privatisation is:
policy aim → implementation → educational impact
At each stage, ask:
What is supposed to happen?
What actually happens?
What evidence demonstrates this?
Are the consequences the same for every group?
This moves an answer from description towards analysis and evaluation.
Privatisation and educational experience
AQA requires educational policies to be understood in relation to the experience of education.
This means sociologists may investigate whether privatisation affects what pupils experience inside educational settings.
Possible areas of investigation include:
teacher-pupil relationships
pupil identities
pupil subcultures
the hidden curriculum
the organisation of teaching and learning
A possible chain is:
privatisation policy → educational context → pupil experience
However, the specification does not provide evidence that privatisation has a particular effect on any one of these processes.
Privatisation and the organisation of teaching and learning
AQA separately requires students to study the organisation of teaching and learning.
Policy and internal educational organisation are therefore related areas but not identical concepts.
A sociologist might investigate:
privatisation → change in educational structure → organisation of teaching and learning
This creates a natural connection with school-level educational organisation [The organisation of teaching and learning].
However, specific changes should only be stated when supported by evidence.
Privatisation and access to education
Access to education is another dimension explicitly named by AQA.
Sociologists examining privatisation may therefore ask:
Does it alter access to education?
Are opportunities available equally?
Do different groups experience changes in access?
Is access affected directly or indirectly?
What evidence demonstrates any change?
The specification does not state that privatisation necessarily increases or decreases access.
This must be evaluated using evidence.
Privatisation and equality of opportunity
AQA also requires students to study policies intended to achieve greater equality of opportunity or outcome.
Privatisation can therefore be evaluated by asking whether it has consequences for educational opportunity.
At the broadest level:
equality of opportunity concerns whether pupils have comparable educational opportunities.
An evaluation might therefore ask:
Does privatisation change the distribution of educational opportunities?
Privatisation and equality of outcome
Equality of outcome is separately identified by AQA.
This concerns educational results rather than the opportunities available before those results occur.
A policy could therefore potentially have different effects on:
opportunity
experience
outcome
These should not be treated as interchangeable.
This distinction is developed more fully in equality-focused educational policies [Equality of educational opportunity and outcome].
Opportunity and outcome
A strong answer should distinguish:
access → opportunity → experience → outcome
These stages may be related, but they are not identical.
For example, evidence of different outcomes does not automatically demonstrate that pupils originally had unequal opportunities.
Likewise, equal access does not by itself prove that outcomes will be equal.
Privatisation and social differentiation
One of AQA's two compulsory core themes is:
social differentiation, power and stratification.
Privatisation can therefore be examined by asking whether its consequences differ between social groups.
AQA already requires educational achievement to be studied by:
social class
gender
ethnicity
When evaluating privatisation, sociologists may therefore ask whether its effects are socially differentiated.
The specification does not provide particular findings.
Privatisation and social class
Education's relationship to class structure is explicitly required by AQA.
Privatisation may therefore be investigated in relation to social class.
Questions might include:
Do social classes experience privatisation differently?
Does access vary?
Do opportunities change differently for different groups?
Are outcomes affected differently?
Do wider class inequalities affect how people respond to policy?
Privatisation and gender
Gender is another required dimension of differential educational achievement.
Sociologists may investigate whether privatisation has different implications for gender groups.
However, the supplied specification does not provide:
gender-specific policy effects
research evidence
particular educational outcomes
No direction of effect should therefore be invented.
Privatisation and ethnicity
The same principle applies to ethnicity.
A sociologist may investigate the relationship without assuming its outcome.
Privatisation and power
Power is explicitly part of AQA's core themes.
Privatisation may therefore raise questions such as:
Who shapes educational arrangements?
Who makes decisions affecting education?
Who experiences the consequences?
Are particular groups more able to influence educational outcomes?
Does the location of power change?
These are legitimate sociological questions.
The supplied specification does not provide evidence establishing particular shifts in power under privatisation.
Privatisation and social structure
AQA requires students to understand the significance of social structure.
Privatisation can be examined structurally because educational policies create or alter institutional arrangements.
A structural analysis might emphasise:
educational policy → institutional structure → opportunities and constraints
This approach is useful because it highlights that pupils' educational circumstances are affected by institutions rather than being determined solely by individual choices.
Limitations of purely structural explanations
A purely structural account could imply that everybody responds to privatisation in the same way.
For example:
policy change → identical response
would be too simplistic.
AQA also requires students to understand social action.
Individuals and organisations may interpret and respond to policies differently.
This means:
same policy environment ≠identical social response
Privatisation and social action
A social-action approach focuses on:
meanings
interpretations
actions
responses
Applied to privatisation, sociologists might consider how:
pupils respond to educational arrangements
people within schools interpret policy
individuals act within opportunities and constraints
A possible model is:
policy structure → individual interpretation → social action
This can complement a structural account.
Combining structure and action
A fuller sociological model is:
educational policy
↓
privatisation
↓
institutional arrangements
↓
opportunities and constraints
↓
individual or organisational interpretation
↓
social action
↓
possible educational consequences
This avoids both extremes:
assuming individuals are completely controlled by structures
assuming educational outcomes are entirely the result of free individual choices
Consensus interpretations of privatisation
AQA requires students to understand consensus theories.
A broad consensus interpretation may ask how educational policies contribute to the organisation and functioning of education within society.
Applied to privatisation, possible questions include:
What role is the policy intended to serve?
How might it contribute to the organisation of education?
What wider social purpose is claimed for it?
Conflict interpretations of privatisation
AQA also requires conflict theories.
A broad conflict interpretation may focus on:
power
inequality
social differentiation
stratification
unequal consequences
Applied to privatisation, sociologists might investigate whether particular social groups experience different consequences.
This provides a contrasting focus to explanations concerned mainly with organisation or wider social functioning.
Again, the specification does not provide a named conflict theory of educational privatisation.
Comparing broad interpretations
Interpretation | Main emphasis | Useful evaluative question |
Consensus | Organisation and wider role of education | Does this give enough attention to inequalities and power? |
Conflict | Power, differentiation and unequal consequences | Does this explain the full role and organisation of education? |
Structural | Institutional arrangements produced by policy | Does this make individuals appear too passive? |
Social action | Interpretation and response | Does this underestimate structural constraints created by policy? |
These categories remain within the theoretical content AQA explicitly requires students to understand.
Privatisation and marketisation
AQA lists marketisation and privatisation separately.
Therefore:
marketisation ≠privatisation
They are separate concepts within the educational-policy specification.
The previous lesson, market-oriented educational policy [Marketisation of education], should therefore not be treated as interchangeable with privatisation.
Privatisation and selection
AQA also treats selection as a separate educational-policy area.
Therefore:
selection ≠privatisation
Selection was examined in policies governing educational access [Selection and educational policy].
A particular policy might potentially involve more than one of the specification's concepts, but this should only be claimed where supported by evidence.
Privatisation and globalisation
AQA requires students to examine the impact of globalisation on educational policy.
Privatisation is part of the wider educational-policy content, so a sociologist may investigate whether global developments influence it.
However, the specification does not provide:
a particular global cause of privatisation
named international organisations
international policy examples
evidence of global effects on privatisation
This relationship is examined more directly in global influences on educational policy [Globalisation and educational policy].
Privatisation and socialisation
The other AQA core theme is:
socialisation, culture and identity.
Educational policies potentially alter the contexts in which pupils experience education.
If privatisation changes those contexts, sociologists might investigate whether there are consequences for:
pupil identity
interaction
educational experiences
wider socialisation
However, the specification does not identify a particular privatisation effect on socialisation.
Privatisation and pupil identity
A possible analytical chain is:
policy → educational context → pupil experience → interpretation → identity
This links educational policy with the specification's requirement to study pupil identities.
However, pupils may interpret the same educational arrangements differently.
This makes social action important when evaluating structural policy explanations.
Privatisation and educational outcomes
The lesson focuses mainly on structure and role, but AQA also requires policy to be examined in relation to impact.
Educational outcomes may therefore become relevant.
A proposed causal chain might be:
privatisation → structural change → educational experience → possible outcome
But this relationship cannot simply be assumed.
Evidence is required to demonstrate:
that a structural change occurred
that it resulted from privatisation
that pupils experienced a consequence
that this consequence affected an outcome
Correlation is not causation
Suppose educational outcomes change during a period in which privatisation also occurs.
This establishes a possible relationship for sociologists to investigate.
It does not automatically prove:
privatisation caused the change
Other influences could include:
selection policies
marketisation
other educational policy
social class
gender
ethnicity
processes within schools
A strong evaluation therefore asks whether research has isolated privatisation as the causal factor.
Evaluating policy intentions
A sociologist should ask:
What is the stated aim of the privatisation policy?
What structural change is intended?
What role is education expected to perform?
What evidence shows whether this occurred?
A policy cannot be evaluated only from the intentions of those introducing it.
Evaluating actual effects
Evidence about actual effects may concern:
educational structure
school experiences
access
opportunity
outcomes
differences between social groups
A strong answer then compares:
intended effect
with:
observed effect
This is particularly useful for AO3 evaluation.
Researching educational privatisation
AQA requires students to apply sociological research methods to Education.
Required sources of data include:
questionnaires
interviews
participant observation
non-participant observation
experiments
documents
official statistics
Different methods could investigate different parts of privatisation.
Documents
Documents may be particularly relevant to the study of policy because they could potentially provide evidence about:
formal arrangements
stated policy aims
institutional changes
However:
evidence of an official policy intention ≠evidence of an actual social effect
Researchers still need evidence about implementation and consequences.
Official statistics
Official statistics may provide quantitative evidence about educational patterns.
Depending on the research question, statistics might potentially be used to investigate:
access
participation
educational outcomes
However, they do not automatically show why a pattern exists.
A statistical change following privatisation does not by itself prove that privatisation caused the change.
Interviews
Interviews could potentially provide evidence about how people experience changes in education.
They might explore:
pupils' experiences
interpretations within schools
perceptions of policy changes
This can provide information about meanings that numerical data may not capture.
Questionnaires
Questionnaires may allow sociologists to collect information from larger numbers of people.
They could potentially investigate:
attitudes towards educational changes
reported experiences
differences between groups
However, their usefulness depends on the questions asked and how sociological concepts are measured.
Observation
Observation could provide evidence about educational processes within institutions.
However, direct observation of a school does not automatically reveal whether an observed process resulted specifically from privatisation.
The design of research is therefore crucial.
Quantitative and qualitative evidence
AQA requires both quantitative and qualitative research methods.
When evaluating privatisation:
quantitative evidence may help identify broad patterns.
qualitative evidence may help investigate meanings and experiences.
A fuller evaluation might therefore address both:
What changed?
and:
How was that change experienced?
Research design
AQA states that the design of research used to obtain data, including its strengths and limitations, must be integrated throughout substantive topics.
When assessing evidence about privatisation, ask:
How was privatisation defined?
What specific policy was studied?
How were structural changes measured?
How was the role of education assessed?
Which institutions were included?
Were educational outcomes measured?
Could another policy explain the findings?
Can results be generalised?
Does the evidence establish causation?
These questions are important because "privatisation" is a broad policy term unless operationalised precisely within research.
Contemporary UK society
AQA states that the central focus should be UK society today, while comparative and global dimensions should be considered where relevant.
Evidence about educational privatisation should therefore be evaluated for:
date
location
policy context
relevance to contemporary UK education
An older policy finding cannot automatically establish the current effect of privatisation.
The supplied source itself provides no contemporary evidence.
Evaluating sociological interpretations of privatisation
The final learning objective requires students to evaluate competing interpretations.
A useful framework is below.
What does the interpretation claim privatisation changes?
Does it focus on:
structure
role
impact
experience
access
opportunity
outcome?
Does it identify a mechanism?
A claim such as "privatisation causes inequality" is incomplete without explaining how.
What evidence supports the claim?
A theoretical argument and an empirical finding are not the same thing.
Is power considered?
Privatisation can be analysed using AQA's theme of social differentiation, power and stratification.
Does it recognise social groups?
Any claimed effect might vary by class, gender or ethnicity.
Does it recognise social action?
Individuals and organisations may respond differently to the same structures.
Does it distinguish intention from outcome?
A policy's intended function is not automatically its actual impact.
Does the evidence establish causation?
Changes associated with privatisation may also have alternative explanations.
Evaluating consensus interpretations
A broad consensus account may be useful because it can direct attention towards:
the organisation of education
its social role
how policy may contribute to the functioning of institutions
However, it could be criticised if it gives insufficient attention to:
social differentiation
power
unequal outcomes
conflicts of interest
The precise strengths and weaknesses of a particular consensus interpretation depend on evidence not contained in the supplied source.
Evaluating conflict interpretations
A broad conflict account can draw attention to:
power
inequality
different consequences for social groups
Its strength is that it directly engages with AQA's theme of social differentiation, power and stratification.
However, a conflict interpretation would still need evidence showing that:
inequalities actually occur
they are caused by privatisation
alternative explanations are less convincing
Simply labelling a policy unequal does not constitute evaluation.
Evaluating structural interpretations
Structural interpretations are useful for showing how policies can alter institutional opportunities and constraints.
However, they may:
make individuals appear passive
underestimate varied responses
overlook meanings and identities
This can be evaluated using social-action approaches.
Evaluating social-action interpretations
Social-action interpretations help explain:
different responses
meanings
pupil interpretations
individual variation
However, they may give insufficient attention to:
the power of educational policy
institutional constraints
patterned inequalities
A combined explanation may therefore be more convincing.
What the supplied sources support
The supplied specification and lesson plan support study of:
privatisation as educational policy
its significance for educational structure
its significance for the role and impact of education
experience of education
access to education
equality of opportunity and outcome
socialisation, culture and identity
social differentiation, power and stratification
consensus and conflict
social structure and social action
sociological evidence
research methods and research design
Applying this knowledge in an examination ✍️
A strong paragraph should examine the consequence of privatisation, rather than simply repeat that it is a policy.
For example:
Point:Â Privatisation may affect the structure of education.
Explanation:Â AQA requires privatisation to be examined for its significance to educational structure.
Development:Â If privatisation changes institutional arrangements, it may alter the educational contexts in which schools and pupils operate.
Analysis:Â These structural changes could then potentially affect educational experience or access.
Evaluation:Â However, evidence is required to demonstrate what structural change actually occurred and whether it was caused by privatisation rather than another educational policy.
For theoretical evaluation:
structural interpretations → emphasise institutional change
while
social-action interpretations → emphasise how individuals interpret and respond to those arrangements.
Key Words 🔑
Key word | Student-friendly definition | How it may be used in an exam |
Privatisation | An educational-policy area explicitly required by AQA and studied for its significance to educational structure, role, impact, experience and access | Identify the policy concept being evaluated |
Educational policy | Policies affecting the organisation and experience of education | Place privatisation within the wider Education topic |
Educational structure | The institutional organisation of education | Analyse possible structural effects of privatisation |
Role of education | The wider functions or purposes associated with the education system | Examine whether policy alters what education does |
Impact | The consequences associated with a policy or educational process | Distinguish actual effects from stated policy aims |
Access to education | Opportunities to enter or participate in educational provision | Examine whether privatisation affects access |
Equality of opportunity | Equality in opportunities to access and participate in education | Evaluate possible effects on educational opportunity |
Social differentiation | Social distinctions between groups | Examine whether policy consequences differ between groups |
Social structure | Patterned institutions and relationships that organise social life | Explain how privatisation may alter institutional contexts |
Social action | Meaningful actions and interpretations by individuals | Evaluate structural explanations that treat people as passive |
Common Mistakes ⚠️
Mistake: Giving a detailed definition of privatisation unsupported by the source
Why this is incorrect: The supplied specification names privatisation but does not define its detailed mechanisms.
How to improve: Use an additional approved source before introducing specific types, organisations or policies.
Mistake: Treating privatisation and marketisation as the same concept
Why this is incorrect: AQA lists them separately.
How to improve: Keep marketisation policy [Marketisation of education] and privatisation conceptually distinct unless a supported example shows a relationship.
Mistake: Treating privatisation and selection as the same concept
Why this is incorrect: Selection is another separate educational-policy area.
How to improve: Use [Selection and educational policy] when discussing selection and keep the policy concepts distinct.
Mistake: Describing policy without considering its significance
Why this is incorrect: AQA explicitly asks students to understand the significance of educational policies.
How to improve: Consider structure, role, impact, experience and access.
Mistake: Assuming policy intention proves policy impact
Why this is incorrect: An intended outcome and an observed outcome may differ.
How to improve: Use:
policy aim → evidence of actual impact → evaluation
Mistake: Assuming privatisation automatically creates inequality
Why this is incorrect: The specification does not state the direction of its effects.
How to improve: Use sociological evidence to determine whether particular groups experience unequal consequences.
Mistake: Ignoring social action
Why this is incorrect: AQA requires both structural and social-action theories.
How to improve: Explain how policy structures circumstances while individuals may interpret and respond differently.
Mistake: Assuming changes in outcomes prove that privatisation caused them
Why this is incorrect: Other educational policies and social processes may have contributed.
How to improve: Evaluate the research design and consider alternative explanations.
Exam-Style Questions ✍️
Question 1
Identify two educational policies, other than privatisation, that AQA requires students to study.(2 marks)
Question 2
Outline two reasons why privatisation is sociologically significant for understanding education.(4 marks)
Question 3
Explain two ways in which privatisation could be relevant to the structure or role of education.(6 marks)
Question 4
Read Item A and answer the question that follows.
Item A Educational policies may alter institutional arrangements and the roles performed within education. These structural changes may also influence pupils' educational experiences and access to opportunities.
Applying material from Item A, analyse two ways in which privatisation may affect the structure and role of education.(10 marks)
Question 5
Read Item B and answer the question that follows.
Item B Some sociologists focus on the institutional changes produced by educational policies. Others emphasise inequalities in power and the possibility that policies may have different consequences for different social groups.
Applying material from Item B, analyse two contrasting sociological interpretations of educational privatisation.(10 marks)
Question 6
Evaluate the view that changes to the structure of education are the most important consequence of privatisation.(20 marks)
Question 7
Read Item C and answer the question that follows.
Item C The effects of educational policy may be judged in terms of structure, role, access and educational experience. However, policy intentions do not necessarily match actual outcomes, and different groups may experience the same policy differently.
Applying material from Item C and your knowledge, evaluate sociological interpretations of educational privatisation.(30 marks)
Answers and mark scheme
Question 1
Award 1 mark each for:
selection
marketisation
Policies aimed at greater equality of opportunity or outcome are also explicitly included within AQA's educational-policy content.
Question 2
Possible answers include:
Privatisation may affect the structure of education.
It may affect the role of education.
It may have consequences for the impact of education.
It may affect pupils' educational experiences.
It may affect access to education.
It may be evaluated in relation to power and social differentiation.
Credit two clearly outlined reasons.
Question 3
Possible explanations include:
Educational structure
Privatisation is an educational policy and may therefore be investigated for its effects on institutional arrangements. Structural changes may alter the contexts within which education is provided and experienced.
Role of education
AQA requires students to examine educational policy in relation to education's role. Sociologists may therefore investigate whether privatisation changes how educational institutions perform their wider social role.
Access
Structural changes may potentially alter access to educational opportunities.
Educational experience
If institutional arrangements change, pupils may experience education differently.
Credit two developed explanations.
Specific forms of privatisation should only be credited where supported by additional approved course material.
Question 4
A strong response should apply Item A.
Possible route 1: educational structure
Item A refers to "institutional arrangements".
AQA specifically requires privatisation to be considered in relation to educational structure.
Privatisation may therefore be investigated for whether it alters how education is institutionally organised.
Changes in structure may then create different contexts for schools and pupils.
Possible route 2: educational role
Item A refers to "roles performed within education".
AQA requires policies to be considered for their significance to the role of education.
If institutional responsibility changes, sociologists may investigate whether the role performed by educational organisations also changes.
Evidence is needed to establish what the actual consequence is.
A strong response should explain the process rather than simply state that privatisation changes education.
Question 5
Structural interpretation
Item B refers to "institutional changes".
Structural approaches focus on how policies create or alter organised social arrangements.
Applied to privatisation, this draws attention to educational structures and the opportunities or constraints they create.
Conflict interpretation
Item B refers to "inequalities in power" and different consequences for social groups.
This connects directly to AQA's core theme of social differentiation, power and stratification.
A conflict interpretation may investigate whether different groups experience the consequences of privatisation unequally.
Evidence is required to demonstrate those differences.
Alternatively, students could contrast a broad consensus interpretation concerned with organisation and role with a conflict interpretation concerned with inequality and power.
Question 6
A successful response should assess whether structural change is the most important consequence.
Arguments supporting the view could include:
AQA explicitly requires privatisation to be examined in relation to educational structure.
Institutional changes may alter the contexts within which schools operate.
Structural changes could potentially affect pupils' experiences.
Structure may also influence access and opportunity.
Evaluation should consider the other dimensions AQA requires:
role of education
impact of education
educational experience
access
equality of opportunity
educational outcomes
social differentiation and power
Students should also recognise that:
institutional change does not automatically create one pupil response
social action may alter how policy is experienced
policy intention and actual outcome may differ
evidence must demonstrate causation
A reasoned judgement might argue that structural change is central because it can provide the context for many other consequences. However, it should not be treated as important in isolation, because the significance of structural change ultimately depends on what it means for education's role, pupils' experiences, access and outcomes.
Question 7
A successful 30-mark answer should evaluate privatisation as one of AQA's required educational-policy areas. The specification requires educational policies to be considered in relation to the structure, role, impact and experience of and access to education.
Relevant source-supported content includes:
privatisation
educational structure
role and impact of education
educational experience
access to education
equality of opportunity and outcome
socialisation, culture and identity
social differentiation, power and stratification
consensus and conflict
social structure and social action
sociological evidence
research design and its strengths and limitations
A useful essay structure could be:
establish privatisation as an educational-policy area
examine possible effects on educational structure
analyse possible consequences for education's role
consider educational impact and experience
consider access and opportunity
analyse social differentiation and power
compare broad consensus and conflict interpretations
compare structural and social-action approaches
distinguish policy intention from actual outcome
evaluate the evidence used to establish policy effects
reach a reasoned judgement
Strong evaluation should ask:
What particular form of privatisation is being discussed?
What structural change is claimed?
What evidence demonstrates that change?
Does the policy alter the role of education?
How does it affect access?
Are pupils' experiences affected?
Do social groups experience the policy differently?
Is power distributed differently?
Does evidence demonstrate causation?
Could selection, marketisation or another policy explain the pattern?
Is the evidence relevant to contemporary UK education?
A strong conclusion might argue that the sociological significance of privatisation cannot be determined simply from the existence or stated purpose of a policy. Its importance depends on evidence about whether institutional structures change, whether the role and impact of education are altered, and whether there are consequences for educational experience, access and social inequality. Structural and conflict interpretations may draw attention to institutional change and power, while social-action approaches remind us that individuals may interpret and respond to policy differently.
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