Sociological arguments for and against the ‘tripartite’ syst

The 1944 Education Act formed the tripartite system. This meant there was now selective schooling for all up to the age of 15, which was determined by the 11+ exams. At 11 everybody had to sit an exam and the few that passed, (only a fifth of students,) went to grammar schools. Those that didn’t pass this went to secondary modern schools, except for a very small percentage that went to technical schools, if they were good at …

…because middle class students mainly went to grammar schools and working class students to secondary modern schools. In conclusion the arguments against the tripartite system seem to outweigh the arguments for. Although the tripartite system did not provide diversity and choice, it appeared to favour middle class students and therefore served to split society on the grounds of social background. The current comprehensive system of education therefore appears to offer more equality of educational opportunity.