ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the theoretical 'shifts' which have informed the sociology of primary schools and the exercise will serve as the basis for the statement of the theory which will guide the study at hand. The nub of the matter was that primary education was not as 'meritocratic' as had been predicted by functionalist theory. That is to say, many 'talented' pupils in primary schools were being 'missed', their talents 'wasted'. 'New' sociological studies of the primary school are relatively few, despite the great interest which the 'new' sociology generated at the theoretical and methodological levels. According to the functionalist sociology of the school, these class and status considerations should not arise: it is 'talent', not social attributes arising from class and status group membership, which schools claim to be able to identify and to convert into academic credentials. A sociology of the school must attend to the meanings which its members assign to their situation.
