This paper traces the trajectory of New Labour education policy since the formation of the first New Labour government in 1997. During that time the policy discourse has moved from a position of individualized school improvement through competition, to one where there is an emphasis on 'partnership' and 'collaboration' as key mechanisms for improvement. We note, however, that 'specialism', 'diversity' and 'choice' are still key components of policy and that 'partnership' often denotes a deficit model, with more successful schools supporting (or in some cases taking over) less successful ones. Although there are the beginnings of a recognition that social class and social deprivation are factors which make achievement at school more problematic, generally New Labour policy has not attempted to alleviate the tendency to social polarization which has emerged as a result of school choice policies
Deborah Cooper, Economy and Learning Manager with Milton Keynes Council and previously Chief Executive of Skill: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities, considers ways in which opportunities for children with special educational needs in England and Wales are being affected by current developments in post‐compulsory education.
Apprenticeship in developed and industrialised nations is increasingly understood as a theory of learning which connects workplace activity and formal study.
While attention is currently focused on new legislation to do with children of school age, a new act on further and higher education has recently come into operation. Deborah Cooper, director of Skill: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities, discusses its implications for students with disabilities and learning difficulties.
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