In a powerful critique of current education policy, academic Mary Evans has questioned the relentless focus on social mobility within English secondary education.
The Problem with Social Mobility Obsession
Recent discussions about changes to both the curriculum and examination formats in England's secondary schools have repeatedly emphasised one primary ambition: increasing social mobility. However, Evans argues this aim remains curiously unexamined by successive governments.
While nobody would deny children access to any occupation, the academic from Patrixbourne, Kent suggests we must ask why this particular aspiration overshadows what she describes as a more socially radical and equitable goal.
A Call for Occupational Respect
Evans proposes shifting focus toward making all occupations viable, properly rewarded, and respected in their own right. She warns that the current approach risks enshrining ideas that diminish the value of certain jobs and occupations that children should supposedly 'escape' from.
'There is already sufficient cut-throat competition within the English class system' without reinforcing notions that certain jobs lack value, Evans states in her letter published by the Guardian.
The Political Dimension
The academic identifies a concerning pattern in contemporary politics, noting that politicians increasingly reflect narrow social experiences and perspectives. This limited worldview has dire implications for educational policy and social equality.
Evans argues that by refusing to consider values that produce feelings of failure and exclusion in children who don't meet the demands of this worldview, we risk lessening both social equality and mutual social respect.
The debate raises fundamental questions about whether the education system should prioritise helping children escape their circumstances versus ensuring all occupations receive proper recognition and respect within society.
