Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the conclusions of The symbolic violence of setting: A Bourdieusian analysis of mixed methods data on secondary students’ views about setting, published in 2018, that setting children by ability in schools is (1) “symbolic violence”, and (2) “incompatible with social justice approaches to education”; and whether they took these views into consideration when appointing the article’s co-author Professor Becky Francis as Chair of the Curriculum and Assessment Review.
The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review and its recommendations will be driven by evidence and a commitment to high standards for all young people, irrespective of background. Professor Francis OBE was appointed due to her professional expertise including as Chief Executive of the Education Endowment Foundation.