Abstract
Education in Britain offers a careful analysis of policy and reform in the British education system while capturing the social and political context and discourse that have shaped predominant educational changes since 1944. The second edition of Education in Britain is extended in terms of the time frame it covers, now including educational developments from 2003 to 2015, and is broader in its scope, encompassing an analysis of further and higher education alongside traditional ‘schooling’, which was the primary focus of the first edition. Nonetheless, the author admits that the definition of education that has determined the parameters of this book are limited, for instance, an analysis of adult education, informal education, or indeed an in-depth discussion of nursery education have yet to be explored. Leaving room, one would hope, for a third edition of Education in Britain.
Reading the title, one could be forgiven for assuming that Education in Britain contains a somewhat standard, perhaps even extensive historical account of the policy reforms that laid the foundation for the gradual enhancement of the British educational system since the postwar period. However, it becomes quickly evident that Jones sets out to present a much more thought-provoking and engaging account of British educational history. In fact, the author highlights that educational reform in Britain has been less about ‘development and continuity’ and more a series of ‘breaks and contrasts’ as successive governments converge and diverge with regard to how education should be organized. The structure of this book follows a chronology of political and cultural change, rather than a neat evolutionary account of educational reform.
Jones intentionally begins his exploration in 1944, in postwar Britain, just as mass secondary education is established. He describes it as a period of ‘historical optimism’, when education was presented as a medium to achieve an equal society, quality livelihoods and create active, informed citizens. It is interesting that, for Jones, the ‘present’ represents how far society has come from those early optimistic goals. If nothing else, history has highlighted the susceptibility of the education system to economic change, and the durable nature of differentiation and demarcation that perpetually prevents education from becoming the solution to inequality.
For those of us less familiar with the political system in Britain, Education in Britain reads as much like a history of party politics as it does of the evolution of the education system across Britain’s four nation states – England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Jones highlights the pluralistic nature of education in Britain ‘despite its best efforts’. He points to the tensions that have arisen when local nuances, such as bilingualism in Wales or religious segregation in Northern Ireland, met an Anglo-centric government, more aligned with global policy frameworks – where interpretation of educational policy in Cardiff, Belfast, or Edinburgh occurs in parallel with a Westminster government ready to endorse global policy orthodoxies. In his conclusion, Jones warns that political parties who are willing to drastically alter the British educational system should not forget the cultural nuances and experiences of non-English states in Britain.
Each of Jones’s chapters presents the rise and fall of a new political party and the ‘policy settlement’ that ensued: from the golden age of capitalism in the 1950s, which brought with it spending, expansion and ‘relative consensus’, to the austerity of the 1970s, inspiring the student movement. Jones discusses the transitions from the Conservative governments of Thatcher and Major to the knowledge economy of New Labour. Facts and opinions stand side by side in his brief account of each era of change. The only real criticism that could be made of Jones’s approach is the fact that, given its relatively short 252 pages, there is not enough room to explore primary, secondary, third level and/or nursery education in all four British states in any real detail. Consequently, this volume should be used as a reference text to educational policy reform in Britain.
As a sociologist working in the field of teacher education, I was particularly interested in reading about the dynamic cultural and social context in which educational development and change has occurred in Britain. Jones’s analysis echoes the work of constructivist theorists of power (Mills, 1959; Foucault, 1977), who assess development and discourse relative to the changing cultural, political and economic landscape. In a sense, each chapter presents a new social construction of education, in times of economic prosperity, economic austerity, or political optimism, each leaving education pointing in a new direction and not always for the better.
For those interested in the study of inequality in education, Jones’s account provides an interesting lens through which to view marginalization, the struggle for power and political will. The intertwined relationship between education and economics emerges as a stark reality in this volume, seemingly questioning the very purpose of education and indeed the power of education as an effective vehicle for change. Both as an educator and a sociologist, I am particularly struck by the question of purpose. It is clear from Jones’s historical account that the purpose of education in Britain has been malleable, subject to political favour and populist ideas, to economic competition and to optimistic idealism.
So, what is the purpose of education? Do we educate children and young people so that they may become critical thinkers, engaged citizens, active members of a democratic system, or to create a more inclusive, equitable and knowledgeable society, or both? Perhaps educational policy has become so responsive to economic need that it has severed the link with learning for learning’s sake, for education as a means of tackling inequality. Has education become so preoccupied with assessment, certification, skill development, employability and global competition that it has lost its focus? According to Jones, it has: ‘the cultural politics of education [in Britain] are now configured differently’ (p. 210).
Reading Education in Britain from a sociological perspective, Jones’s account becomes so much more than historical empiricism, it raises key educational questions that are relevant to every nation across the world, and connects discourses of global economics, globalization and social justice. This volume is informed by contemporary research and literature from all four of the British states, and draws significantly on historical legislation and record. However, Jones’s style is systematic and accessible, clear and concise. For this reason, Education in Britain will appeal as much to students of education, history and policy as it will to educators and academics.