Entitled to What? Control and Autonomy in School: a student perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this paper the National Curriculum (and other changes brought about by the Education Reform Act, ERA) is used as a context within which the notion of entitlement is discussed from a student perspective. The National Curriculum was described by the British government and its supporters as providing a coherent and broad curriculum and as an ‘entitlement curriculum’. Data presented here are drawn from a four‐year longitudinal qualitative research project (1991‐95) following three groups of students in three comprehensive schools (about 90 students) through their last four years of secondary school. Early findings suggest that rather than enable students to take more control of their learning, ERA has intensified mechanisms of control over students as well as teachers. Moreover, ERA is intensifying forms of differentiation which already exist in school. One result of this is that students experience entitlement in a differentiated way relating to class, race, gender and ability.