Divide and School

Considering the comprehensive school as a social system, this text examines how the ideals of comprehensive education are articulated, challenged and reproduced through social class and gender divisions within secondary education. Issues examined include: the results of streaming on middle and working class pupils; gender and its effect on deviants' value systems; teachers' gender stereotyping and ideologies; attitudes of anti-school pupils; subject option constructions; and sex roles in curriculum texts. Both teacher and pupil views are taken together with official school records are taken into account. The conclusion explains why many of the gender and social class divisions identified are, within the New Right's agenda for secondary education, likely to continue and flourish rather than be reduced.