Newman University WWU405: Education Social Policy Timeline Report

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the education social policy timeline in the United Kingdom, focusing on key events, legislation, and their impact on the education system. It begins with an introduction to social policy and its relation to education, emphasizing the significance of education for individual and societal development, referencing the Beveridge Report and the Human Rights Act 1998. The report then delves into the historical context, tracing the evolution of education from the pre-19th century to the late 20th century. It highlights crucial acts such as the Factory Act of 1833, the Forster Elementary Education Act of 1870, the Balfour Education Act of 1902, the Butler Act of 1944, and the Education Reform Act of 1988, detailing their objectives, outcomes, and controversies. The report also discusses the influence of various economic philosophies, such as Marxism, on the education system. Finally, it concludes by summarizing the major themes and emphasizing the ongoing importance of education in shaping the welfare state and improving the standard of living.

Running Head: EDUCATION
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Introduction to Social Policy

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The following parts in this discussion are based on the concept of social policy timeline
relating to the major issue of social policy which is commonly called as education (Cengage,
2020). “A timeline, identifying the key events in a specific aspect of social policy” is
relating to the education. Education is a key factor to educate every citizen of the country and
develop the betterment of the society with standard of living (Gidden, 2013).
The following issue is coincide with Beveride report. It is a government report which was
published in 1942 to developed the welfare outcomes in United Kingdom. It was legally
drafted by William Beveridge where he was identified the five giants on the road of
reconstruction of the country (Stephen, 2019). These five giants are Idleness, disease,
ignorance, want, squalor. The main agenda of this report was to provided the paid benefit to
the societies who were dealing with illiteracy, poor, retired, unemployed or sick.
The discussion is significantly expresses the selected timeline based on education which
includes key dates, events, pieces of legislation. These given dates, events and a piece of
legislation is important because any country has purposely keep a record for later use, to
check the serial from dates and event and even it is way important to functionalise the piece
of legislation because it is called as the most important instrument of government in
protecting the citizens and organizing the society.
Education is the major issue in the social policy. It has four different aspects such as the
importance of the education providers, interconnected regime component among the society,
and public opinion. This issue is based on the fundamental concept of the welfare society
(Solga, 2017). Under Human Rights Act 1998, A Right to Education states that everyone has
the right to access the educational system. Education is available for every human (Centre,

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2011). Understand social governance well, then it is a fact that how important education is to
the nation.
It is a necessary issue because all children in a society have a legal right to educate
themselves for an individual growth and better standard of living. Education itself is given
60% recognition in the social policy (Cengage, 2020). After the period of post war UK
education system have been reform through many attempts for the betterment of the welfare
of society and to implement the productivity. This sector in the society is the only issue
which can firmly change the whole scenario of the country. It is because if to raise an
employment, establishment of new policies, new developments, and the work of the
government in the society, the education system has to be the keen importance for the social
welfare of the country (Mary, 2020).
Prior to 19th century, education system was not much into the consideration due to lack of
knowledge and cultural diversification of the country in common people as well as leaders. It
was firmly said that in England, the First School was opened and the agenda of this act were
only offered to rich males of the country. Despite the fact, this act hadn’t found any profit and
usefulness in later century (Moore, 2015). It is because there was a need of the best education
system for any country for the developmental growth of the country. And lately in 1833 the
Factory Act was passed leading to 2hrs of education a day for children who were working in
the factories. In 1844 the London Ragged Schools Union was set up to give schooling to very
poor children (Moore, 2015).
But afterwards in 19th century onwards many acts were taken into the consideration and
passed by the parliament. Each act has its own agenda, which taken into the consideration as
the most important in seeing today’s growth. However a country find out the record related to

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the act by the dates, key event and piece of legislation that was unique of every act. Some of
the acts has been discovered in the following discussion are listed below (Rode, 2019).
And also William Beveridge, who published the government report stated that education can
be play as a major role in functioning for the social development in the future and a great
solution for the society to improve various techniques for, scientific notion, and many
developmental areas by education because it creates skills and knowledge for every
individual. However his comment on education system gave a positive impact towards the
public of the country which gave a result as many fundamental acts had been introduced for
the better planning and specification (Cengage, 2020).
One of the key event based on education was Forster Elementary Education Act, aimed of
children between the ages 5 and 12 get schooling in England and Wales. The act was
succeeded in local education authorities with defines powers, authorized public money to
improve existing schools, and framed conditions to earn goodwill of the managers (Moore,
2015). It was long been seen as a milestone in the development of education. After the
campaigned by National Education League this law was introduced on 17 February 1870 and
was drafted by William Forster. However The Elementary Education Act was the first Act
that was passed in 1870 by the parliament of the country (Dalgeish, 2017).
There were some problems which raised several issues during the passing of the act, the act
retained the requirement for parents to pay fees when they could afford to, and for the state to
pay for those who could not. Some British people wanted specific schools that would
promote denominational education. Therefore the act was successful and afterwards, in 1872,
the Education department raised the issue in an examination of the “Standards of Education”
indicated that there was an official need for the level of students achievements according to
the age of a child and standard of study (Boose, 2018).

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In 1896, a political party started a platform, where they established secular education of the
children. The purpose of the establishment was free at all stages and opened for all ages of
people. The purpose of the platform was to increase the ability of working class and
improved the social factors which was brutally structured and organized towards the goal of
greater economic and cultural representation (Boose, 2018).
Another event was Balfour Education Act which was passed in December 1902. It was
presented by Alfred Balfour in the house of common Education Bills and was described as
one of the controversial Act in the history of Parliament. It was demanded by the Church of
England and brought up by the William Gladstone. The purpose of this act was to create the
new authorities in education and empowered them to provided technical education (Clifford,
2016).
The new legislation abolished all the 2,759 school boards. It was given power to establish the
workforce in technical schools and developing the existing system of elementary schools. For
the first time, as a result of this legislation public funds were provided in the church schools
(Hood, 2020). It was considered to be a highly controversial act of the parliament that set the
pattern of elementary education in the United Kingdom. Due to 1906 general election,
conservatives have found the act was short-term political disaster. However this act was
vanished on 9 April 1906, due to hundreds of protest meetings by Anglicans who complained
the non-denominational religious teaching was in breach of their consciences.
Dated 3 August 1994, the Butler Act was passed by the Parliament. It introduced by R. A.
Butler to reform the education law in England and made numerous major changes in the
provision and governance of the secondary school. It had been introduced the Tripartite
system, the arrangement of state funded secondary education. It contained three type of
school namely the grammar school, technical school in secondary classes, and the modern

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schools. These three type of schools have different functioned that provided to the British
people for the betterment of the society. Seventy years on, the legacy of education act is still
widely felt. It introduced free education for all between the ages 5-15 years.
The major changes that had been taken into the consideration in the Butler act was become
the great result in the present scenario. Today the People of United Kingdom accept free
primary and secondary education as a human right of Right to Education. Butler’s act has
been compulsory stated that it is important to get educated till 16 and more than that. Also in
the act was introduced that church schools were brought into the national system and the fee
paying at the schools was forbidden. This Act only aimed was to provide the real chances of
social mobility (Blatchford, 2014).
It established a national education system, to made changes in the local educational
authorities. But since 1944, there were conflicts and consequences which had been raised by
the opposition party. Therefore, The Butler act become successful in making of several
changes as a result people of United Kingdom are getting a lot of benefit in today’s scenario.
Every child and their parents has been initiating in the education system. There have been
different standards and ways in education according to the age group to provide technical as
well as elementary standard to the children.
One of the key event was the introduction of the National Curriculum was the Education
Reform Act of 1988. This act was commenced on 29 July 1988. It was stated that this act was
fundamentally changed the relationship between the local authorities of the country and the
Department of Education. The Act was given by Margaret Thatcher. In this act various
examination policies had been showed for the students at standard 7, 11 and 14. It was
partially provided fund policies to established many technology colleges for higher studies.

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The agenda of this act was to provide various subjects to the students including social, art,
culture, science, technology etc. according to the interest of the student (Irwin, 2016).
Under this Act was to improve standards through marketization which gives choices to the
parents about which school is benefitted for the child. To reduce direct state control over
education there is a need of more consumer choices and competition between schools. They
promote private schools mainly by business sponsorships of the schools and provided formal
funding for higher achievers.
Such type Acts which are listed above described the importance of education. Different act
has different agenda, different function to provide education to the people. The only purpose
of the education is to educate a person. It usually functioned for the development of the
country. Education system in the society not only helps the individual to grow but also
develops the welfare state and makes the country into the standard of living (Gidden, 2013).
This is why it play as a major role in the social policy. Most of the people of a country state
that education system has been the most efficient and likely to be the most benefitted to the
society as a result people emerged as knowledgeable, numerate and literate.
Some economic philosophies were given by the economist and each economist has different
views like Marxist states that the education system serves the interest of the capitalist elite.
The various methods of Marxism in the socioeconomic analysis, he had been spreads ruling
class ideologies. To fulfil the needs of increasingly specialised occupation, the education
system has broadly distributed the knowledge and train children to become successful in
future. He even states that the meritocratic system of grades and qualification recognizes the
talented and steers children into their appropriate position in the varied division of labour
(Anyon, 2011).

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In order to conclude the following discussion, the major issue of the social policy is
education. Education is the most important and fundamental right for every citizen of the
country. Therefore several acts were passed by the parliament by making the citizen fully
employed and knowledgeable. They are identifying key event, dates and piece of legislation.
These acts are Forster Elementary Education Act passed on 17th February 1870, Balfour
Education Act was passed on December 1902, the Butler act was passed on 3rd August 1994
and National Curriculum was the 1988 Education Reform Act. The future perspectives of
these Acts were high development in terms of economy, growth and establishment of
industrializations. These acts had been considered as the useful purpose for the country. After
the Beveridge report was published in 1992, people took the education system more
importantly and therefore several acts had been introduced which itself was considered to be
the important. These Acts are considered as the most important act in the today’s scenario
because every act has a different purpose and policies for the benefit of the people.
Therefore the success of education leads to the successful career of a person. However
education is the key to success and to be called as a major issue of the welfare state.

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