Education Policy

Abstract

Since Margaret Thatcher’s first government came to power in 1979 the administration, funding, control, content and form of educational provision in England and Wales have all been subject to major reform. At the same time the provision of education has become a major political issue, with Tony Blair famously declaring that his first government’s three leading priorities would be ‘education, education and education’. In this chapter I consider the principal policy changes that have been introduced since 1979, measure their outcomes and assess their likely consequences.