Moving the Goal Posts

This is going to be an interesting week or two weeks on the education front, with A level and GCSE results due, this week and next respectively. The most interesting rustling in the undergrowth so far - for my money at least - comes with this announcement from the Conservatives that if elected they will change the basis on which league tables are constructed. It’s being reported that the Conservatives want to ‘beef up’ the tables by ensuring that what they see as ‘dumbed down’ or easier subjects don’t count for so much and a weighting system is devised so that the traditional subjects are more highly rewarded.

All very interesting. It’s worth applying Bourdieu’s concept of ‘cultural capital’ (admittedly rather crudely) to this tactic. Bourdieu has argued that the higher social classes will always find ways of ensuring that their own cultural practices are more highly valued than others. And they will use their social capital to help acheive this end. Sound familiar?