Education in a Post-welfare Society

Book excerpt: This is the second edition of Education in a Post-Welfare Society (first published in 2001) which provided a critical overview of education policy since 1945 - a period during which governments in the UK, particularly in England, moved from creating and sustaining a welfare state to promoting a post-welfare society dominated by private enterprise and competitive markets. The first edition took readers through a descriptive review of Acts, reports and events in education 1945-2000, placing in context the avalanche of legislation and initiatives that have "reformed" education into a competitive enterprise in which young people "learn to compete" locally, nationally and globally. This edition continues the policy story up to 2005, and covers two terms of a New Labour government and their plans for a third term. It also continues an examination of the relationship of education policy to social class, race, gender and the economy. The book continues to demonstrate how a relatively decentralised education system became a system in which funding, teaching and curriculum are centrally controlled, and privatisation encouraged, with education being narrowed to an economic function, becoming a prop for global market economy rather than a pillar of welfare state. Chronologies of education acts, reports and initiatives are provided at the beginning of the first seven chapters, major legislation is summarised and suggestions for further reading made. Chapters on the middle classes and education, the relationship of policy to race, gender and disability, and education and the economy follow. The book is an invaluable resource for all those concerned with social policy and education, including educational researchers, professionals and politicians.