Full Description
It is fifty years since comprehensive education was introduced in Scotland, England and Wales. But while the ideal of comprehensive education has been largely abandoned in England, comprehensive schools are alive and well in Scotland and command public support.This long-term overview of the development of the Scottish system, with contrasting accounts from England, Northern Ireland and Wales, concludes that comprehensive schooling, linked to underlying democratic values of liberty, equality and fraternity, has made a positive difference to the development of contemporary Scotland.Drawing on a wide range of research, documentary and policy evidence, the book provides a critical account of developments in curriculum and governance and the impact of comprehensive schooling on its students' outcomes, social class and gender inequalities. It exploits a unique series of surveys to give voice to young people and their increasingly positive attitudes to school, especially among the less academic. But the Scottish system's success is still only partial. Looking forward, the book outlines lessons from the Scottish experience both for Scotland and for other countries considering how best to educate young people of secondary-school age. A valuable resource for students, teachers, academics and policymakers.
Contents
CONTENTS1965-2015: 1. Comprehensive schooling in Scotland 1965-2015, by Daniel Murphy; 2. The values of comprehensive schooling, by Daniel Murphy, Linda Croxford, Cathy Howieson, and David Raffe; PART TWO: THE EVIDENCE: 3. Young people's views of their experiences of comprehensive schooling, by Linda Croxford and Cathy Howieson; 4. The compulsory stage, by Cathy Howieson; 5. The post-compulsory stage, by David Raffe. 6. Inequalities, by Linda Croxford; 7. The governance of Scottish comprehensive education, by Daniel Murphy and David Raffe; PART THREE: VIEWS FROM ENGLAND, NORTHERN IRELAND AND WALES: 8. The Comprehensive school: the English contrast, by Richard Pring; 9. Academic selection and Northern Ireland, by Tony Gallagher; 10. The View from Wales, by Gareth Rees; CONCLUSION: 11. What have we learnt from the Scottish experience? by Daniel Murphy, Linda Croxford, Cathy Howieson, and David Raffe; Appendices; Index.
