Download Social class and educational achievement

STARTER

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Work on your own to answer the short mark
exam questions on the worksheet.
You have 10 minutes.
ANSWERS: PEER ASSESSMENT
5 Mins
Increasing
From Item D, what is the overall trend between 1970 and
2005 in children under 5 attending schools? (1 mark)
From Item E, what percentage of children who receive free school
meals obtained 5 or more A* – C grades at GCSE? (1 mark)
Item F
Education has a role in teaching norms and
values of British culture. The recent
introduction of Citizenship as a subject in
schools may help individuals to identify
themselves as part of that wider culture. This is
sometimes called developing a sense of
‘Britishness’.
From Item F, which subject was recently introduced in
schools? (1 mark)
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Explain what sociologists mean by the hidden
curriculum. (4 marks)
The hidden curriculum refers to things learnt as
part of everyday life at school rather than taught
in lessons such as punctuality, etc.

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Describe one way in which schools attempt to
encourage a sense of what it means to be British and
explain how this may help to improve social cohesion.
(5 marks)
One way in which schools attempt to encourage a
sense of being British is through its political
function. This is when children learn to be good
citizens through subjects such as Citizenship
(PSHE) and History.
This may help to improve social cohesion by making
sure that everyone tolerates others and gets
along with them regardless of religion, ethnicity,
etc.
PROGRESS SO FAR IN SOCIOLOGY
Class
Number
3LoP
%
4LoP
%
Miss S A Brobbey
20
8
40%
2
10%
Mr T Hemming
19
7
37%
2
11%
Mr S Ahmed
17
2
12%
0
0%
Students on A*-C
Class
Number
A*-C
Miss S A Brobbey
20
10%
Mr T Hemming
19
11%
Mr S Ahmed
17
0%
SOCIAL CLASS AND ACHIEVEMENT
Make your predictions:
Why do some children do better at school than
others?
What has social class background got to do with
educational achievement?
DEFINITIONS
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Educational achievement or attainment is
measured through exams and it means getting 5
or more A* – C GCSEs.
Educational underachievement is measured
through exams and it means not getting at least
5 A* – C GCSEs and not being able to go onto
further education.
FACT!
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o
o
o
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The lower the social class:
the less likely the student is to get 5+ A*-C GCSEs.
the less likely they are to stay on in post 16 education.
the less likely they are to attend university.
Therefore, working class children do less well in
education than middle class children.
Challenge: Why
might middle-class
parents be better
able to support their
child’s education?
1. Decide which person will be your working-class
character, your middle-class character and your
upper class character.
2. Attach two speech bubble to the character that
you think it most likely belongs to.
20 Mins
Extension task:
Choose one of your characters and write a ‘day
in the life of…’ account. For example, you might
start by describing the room that your character
wakes up in, what they eat for breakfast, what
conversations they have with their parents
before going to school, what they are thinking
about on the way to school etc.
THE NATURE VS. NURTURE DEBATE
The nature theory (biological explanation) argues
that educational success or failure depend on the
intelligence of each individual child. The
intelligence is inherited from parents through
genes. Therefore, how we perform in school is
determined by the ability levels we are born with.
 The nurture theory (Sociological explanation)
argues that educational success or failure is
determined by the social environment. Therefore,
factors such as social class, gender, ethnicity,
peer pressure, family and teachers affect
educational performance.
 Class vote - which view do you agree with? Hands
up for nature... and now for nurture view.

5 Mins
TASK 2

Work in pairs to fill in the gaps in the text – it is
a summary of what you need to know about
social class factors that affect educational
achievement.
20 Mins
PEER ASSESSMENT
MATERIAL DEPRIVATION – WORKING CLASS
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Material deprivation means living in poverty.
Working class parents may not be able to afford to buy school
uniform, PE kit or specialist equipment required. Many
schools have a policy whereby if a child comes to school in
incorrect uniform or without equipment, they are sent home.
Moreover, being poor means that some working class families
find themselves living in overcrowded housing with a lack of
privacy or quiet space where a child can do their homework or
revision.
Unhealthy living conditions such as damp and cold and a
nutritionally poor diet can also affect the educational
achievement of working class children as they suffer more
illnesses so their school attendance is poor.
Therefore, they miss out on learning and lack the necessary
knowledge to pass the exam.
MATERIAL DEPRIVATION – MIDDLE CLASS
On the other hand, middle class children tend to
live in better quality housing with their own
room to study in.
 Middle class parents can afford to buy extra
books and computers for their children to learn
from as well as to pay for private tutors.
 These factors help middle class children do better
in exams.

CULTURAL DEPRIVATION – WORKING
CLASS
Cultural deprivation means a lack of experiences,
knowledge and skills needed to succeed in
education.
 Working class children are said to be culturally
deprived as their parents can’t give them the
experiences such as trips to museums or foreign
holidays.
 Their parents may not be able to buy them extra
books or PC or educational toys to help them
learn.
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CULTURAL DEPRIVATION – MIDDLE CLASS
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Children from middle class backgrounds are not
culturally deprived as they have life experiences
which help them with their school work.
These experiences include trips to museums and
galleries with their parents, foreign holidays, etc.
Through these experiences they gain a better
understanding of the world which helps them
understand what is being taught at school.
Middle class children tend to have books, computers
and educational toys to help them learn at home.
Middle class have cultural capital. This means that
middle class parents are well educated so can help
their children with homework and coursework.
Middle class parents also have the knowledge of how
the education system works so they can get their
children into the best schools or get them extra help
from the school if the child needs it.
PARENTAL ATTITUDES – WORKING CLASS
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Working class values are different to middle class values as
they tend to seek immediate gratification. This means
living for the moment with little thought for the future.
Working class parents are less likely to be involved in their
children’s education, for example, their poor attendance of
parents’ evenings. However, this may be down to the fact
that working class occupations require shift work so it
could be that the type of employment working class parents
do prevents them from being involved in their children’s
education.
Working class parents also tend to hold fatalistic attitudes
to their situation. This means that they feel there is
nothing they can do to improve their situation. As they
pass this attitude to their children; they do not realise that
through education they can improve their lives.
PARENTAL ATTITUDES – MIDDLE CLASS
Middle class parents place high value on
personal, individual success and emphasise
planning for the future. They pass these values to
their children thus helping them become
ambitious and motivated to do well in education.
 Middle class parents also teach their children to
value deferred gratification. This means being
prepared to make sacrifices now for future
rewards.
 Moreover, middle class parents are said to show
more interest and involvement in their children’s
education. They are said to be more likely to
regularly check their children’s homework and
keep in touch with teachers.
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SPEECH CODES – MIDDLE CLASS
Language is a major reason for the difference
between working and middle class children’s
achievement.
 The elaborated code is used by the middle class.
It has a wide vocabulary and consists of longer,
grammatically correct sentences.
 Elaborated code is used by teachers, textbooks
and exams.
 Middle class children are socialised into using the
elaborated code at home and so feel comfortable
using it at school.

SPEECH CODES – WORKING CLASS
The restricted code is used by the working class.
It is limited in vocabulary, uses short, unfinished
and grammatically simple sentences.
 As working class children are not familiar with
the elaborated code, it puts them at a
disadvantage at school.
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HOMEWORK

For each of the factors listed, explain how they could lead to
educational underachievement of working class children:
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•
Lack of correct school uniform or PE kit –
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•
Lack of quiet space at home to study –
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•
Poor diet, e.g. no breakfast before going to school –
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•
Lack of books and a PC at home –
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•
Lack of visits to museums or holidays abroad –
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•
Using the restricted code –
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•
Lack of parental visits to school, e.g. parents not attending
TSD –
STAR OF THE WEEK
 Merhawi
for being an active member
in sociology. Well done for sharing
good practice and for always
contributing towards class
discussions.
 Positive
made
phone call home will be
LEARNING JOURNEY
The purpose of education
- Sociological theories on
education – Functionalism
and Marxism
Formal and informal
education – National
Curriculum and hidden
curriculum
The factors affecting
educational achievement
- social class
The factors affecting
educational achievement
– ethnicity
Education in
contemporary Britain –
structure, vocational
education, marketisation,
Reforms of the British
education system over the
last 40 years and the
criticisms of these
educational reforms
The factors affecting
educational achievement
– school
The factors affecting
educational achievement
– gender
Contemporary issues
relating to the education
system such as faith
schools, testing, special
needs
The alternative forms of
education in Britain –
home schooling, private
education
Revision
End of unit assessment –
mock exam