Continuity through change. British comprehensive schools and cultural transmission, 1965–1995

Abstract

This chapter begins by noting that British schools and their curricula have historically served as instruments of cultural transmission. The perceived social and cultural advantages of a grammar school education are discussed, but consideration is also given to children's experiences in lower-status secondary modern schools.By the 1960s, the notion of differentiated secondary schools, offering contrasting curricular opportunities had become increasingly unpopular and a drive for non-selective comprehensive education began. Associated with the comprehensive school movement were a small number of individuals and groups who sought to transform society and create a common culture. However, more conservative forces tended to be dominant and it is argued that, in England, especially, vestiges of secondary school selection remained part of the “reformed” comprehensive “system” of the late 1960s and 1970s. Mindful of the important distinction drawn by Harvey Siegel in this volume, it is suggested that comprehensi...