1946 Education for the nation

The 1944 Education Act revolutionised secondary level education in the UK. Before the Second World, only around 15% of 11-year-olds preceded to secondary school, with the rest leaving elementary school at 13/14 to enter the labour market. After 1944, it became mandatory for all 11 years olds to proceed to secondary school until 14 (raised to 15 in 1947 and 16 in 1972), with the promise of increased educational opportunity a cornerstone of the new welfare state. The new system was built around three types of school (secondary moderns, grammars, and technical), for which pupils were allocated based on ability through the mechanism of the 11-plus. Grammar schools were intended to serve an academic elite and provide access to university and prestigious careers for all who were cleverer enough, irrespective of social background. Access to university, however, did not expand as quickly with under 3% of school leavers carrying on into higher education until well into the 1960s. The Robbins Report (1963) recommended a massive expansion of provision, leading to both the founding of new universities and the slow expansion of intake among older institutions. This strand of research will examine how King’s changed in the era of mass education. Did it try to attract undergraduates from a more diverse range of backgrounds? How did the fellowship change? What contributions did King’s scholars make to new understandings of nation and citizenship that contributed to this mid-twentieth century in education provision?

So what question…

Questions around access and WP. Who has access to King’s and how does the university seek to expand its reach and appeal? What does WP and social diversity mean in King’s today? How does the university support students from less well-off backgrounds, especially around cost of living and studying in London?