Educational policy and professional practice. Education Essay

Education Policy-Poverty and Focus on Secondary Education
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Education Policy-Poverty and Focus on Secondary Education
Introduction
The United Kingdom, which comprises four countries; England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland have similar education. Education policies are well defined in each of the four countries, which aims at improving the level of education, schools, and the role of teachers. Poverty has also damaged educational opportunities of children from the poor families. The funding of education and other policies varies across the U.K but with some similarities in the range of these findings as well as education. However, the main challenge in the implementation of these education policies is to improve students' performance and address performance gaps across varying social-economic backgrounds. Poverty has also been factor that has limited the implementation of these policies. Poverty limits the readiness of children to study and the willingness of teachers to teach. A bigger percentage of children are raised in poverty and this makes it difficult for them to complete school. Additionally, there has been a challenge in the provision of quality education, which will meet the transition of the labour market. During different eras, the U.K government has enacted policies that are set to address these challenges. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the development and implementation of education policies that address poverty issues across the U.K. Furthermore, the paper will discuss how these policies affect the roles and responsibilities of educators. 
Development and Implementation of Education Policies in the U.K
U.Ks education policies are based on the outcomes of their poverty measurement strategies. Poverty is defined as the inability of the available resources to meet the minimum needs of a person. In the U.K, Poverty is measured based on the ability of its citizens to pay rent, heat their home, or take care of their children (JRF, 2020). According to JRF (2020), the U.K uses the Minimum Income Standard (MIS), which gives information on minimum acceptable standards of living concerning public demands and poverty levels. However, there is no single method that best measures poverty because it is a complex problem with a range of underpinned causes (JRF, 2020). Some of the leading causes of poverty in the U.K are unemployment and low-paying jobs, ineffective benefit system, and low levels of skills and education. Consequently, these create health and housing problems, drug abuse, childhood poverty, family problems, and lower educational achievements. Based on these challenges, the Labour government came up with educational policies that aimed at reducing the high rate of poverty as in 1997.
According to a study by Johnson, (2004, 177), between 1979 and 1997, when the Conservative Party was in power, the number of U.K's students in poverty had grown by three times. In 1997/8, approximately 13.5 million people were living below the mean level income based on 'after housing costs.' Out of this number, nearly 4.3 million were children, which shows that one in every four children was living in poverty. Arguably, these numbers show that roughly a quarter of the U.K population were living below their mean level income (Johnson, 2004, 179). In comparison to other European countries, Britain was the third country with the highest number of children living in poverty. Furthermore, Britain had the highest number of children living with single parents. Before 1997, these high levels of poverty had direct damage to society. Conspicuous among the losses was the widened gap of inequalities in education performance in all the four U.K countries.
In the1998 elections, the Labour Party won the elections and took over power after eighteen years of Conservative Government. Under Tony Blair as the prime minister, he proposed that unless the Labour Government would raise the income of poor citizens, then it would fail to address the high poverty levels. In March 1999, Tony Blair said that 'the Labour government's historical aim is to be the first generation to end child poverty……it shall be a 20-year mission.' income (Johnson, 2004, 172). The main focus of Education policies for the Labour government was to introduce several market mechanisms into the U.K education program. These mechanisms included the parental choice, parental presentation on government bodies, linking schools funding with the enlargement, among others. The focus was primarily on the improvement of student's performance. 
The second concern for the Labour government was based on the limited and poor skills in the U.K in relation to other countries. In response to this, Blair's Government introduced a standardized national curriculum for all students between the ages of 7-16. This was aimed at ensuring that all children studied a minimum and breadth of the curriculum income (Johnson, 2004, 173). The third concern was to solve the problem of a large number of students of more than 16 years staying on in education institutions compared to other countries. In response, the Government introduced two significant policies, the vocational qualification system, and the higher education standardization.
Sure Start Local Programs (SSLPs)
The Sure Start Local Programs (SSLPs) were introduced to address issues of parents and children below the age of four years living in marginalized areas. Children in these areas were at high risk of performing poorly in school, indiscipline, and compromised life chances issues. Furthermore, the SSLPs is one of the Labour government's most significant attempt to tackling extreme poverty and deprivation in the U.K social exclusion (Dowling & Harvie, 2014, 885). The SSLP model involved the collaboration of multi-agency stakeholder partnerships that could access national funding for ten years. The SSLPs did not only aim at improving the well-being during these years but also increase the chances of these children joining a school with a balanced mental ability (Melhuish, E. et al. 2008, 4). Furthermore, SSLPs aimed at academic success, social stability, and early-in-life development trajectories for these students. Ultimately, SSLPs would solve the vicious intergeneration transmission of poverty, social exclusion, and academic underperformance. The SSLPs were located in areas where high rates of deprivation are present. Arguably, the distinct feature of SSLPs that differentiated it with other educational reforms is the fact that the program was area-based.
Working Families' Tax Credit (WFTC)
The Working Families' Tax Credit (WFTC) is one of the Benefits and Tax Policies that the New Labour government introduced in its effort to tackle the child poverty problem in the U.K. the WFCT was launched in October 1999. The aim of this tax credit was to replace the Family Credit which was basically a means-tested benefit that was paid directly to the families (Brewer et al, 2006, 99). Therefore, the introduction of WFCT meant that there would higher and maximum payments with a slower taper. For U.K to benefit from this scheme, they had to work for at least 16 hours per week, have children as the main dependents, and have capital value of not more than 8,000 euros. The WFCT spread its generosity to the families and children who were not covered in the Family Credit program. One of the critical elements of the WFCT program was child care credit (Brewer et al., 2006, 99). This was meant to potentially impact the decisions of the Government on labour supply. The WFCT has been a useful tool in the New Labour government's response to low-income families with children. Moreover, the policy has been influential in increasing financial rewards for working and low-income families.
The Child Tax Credit (CTC)
The Child Tax Credit was introduced in April 2001 by the New Labour government to provide an income boost to parents, children, and other dependents of the U.K citizens. With the CTC, families would be able to reduce their taxable income by up to 1,000 euros. For a child to qualify for CTC benefits, he or she should meet the six qualifying criteria test (Brewer et al., 2006, 100). The first is the age-test, which includes children of not more than 17 years or 16 years old at the end of 2010. The second test is the relationship test, which provides for children who are either a daughter, son, stepchild, sister brother, foster child, or a relative of any of these people such as grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. The third test includes children who are not provided with more than half of their needed support (Brewer et al., 2006, 101). The fourth test is the dependent test, which only allows parents to have the children as their dependents in the tax return. The fifth test is that, for the child to benefit, he or she should be a citizen of either of the U.K countries. The final test involves the residence of the child, who must live by their parents or relatives.
The Impact of the 2008 Financial Crisis on U.Ks Education Sector 
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