Local Schools policy drives inequality in the UK

I love a story that really can resonate with students and get them 'irked'. It struck me yesterday that reading about a recent Bristol University research paper that claims that school admission policies lead to greater inequality might strike a chord with some young people.The study suggests that the common policy in the UK of prioritizing admission places in primary and secondary schools based upon how close a student lives to that school continues a cycle of inequality. The argument is that, wealthier people are more able to afford to move to areas with higher performing schools and so are more inclined to do so. People without that facility have less choice in where to send their children and may have to stick with local schools despite their relative poor performance. So the cycle continues ..... poorer people receive a poorer quality education and are therefore less equipped to get the necessary qualifications to earn higher wages.

So how do you play this with students? It's a good story to use if you are discussing inequality or just want an example of how the scarcity of resources is an economic problem.

When I'm discussing this with students, I would ask them to avoid their anecdotal examples that would counter the research (a skill they are going to have to get used to when making evaluative arguments). Everyone knows an exception to the rule - someone from a poorer background who is successful or vice versa. I would ask them, however, if they have felt as if they were short-changed with the quality of their education (and I would wear my tin helmet that day!).

My line of questioning would be:

• Why is there a difference in quality of schools in the first place?
  
• How important is education in promoting wealth in the UK (is it a merit good)?
• What is the solution to this problem? Would that solution bring about inequality in other ways?
• If the solution is to spend more on education in the UK how would you pay for that increase? What would you give up? What would be the impact of higher taxation?

Click here to access the BBC story