ABSTRACT
For some years the sociology of education has been an obvious candidate as a theme for the Annual Conference of the British Sociological Association. Its choice for the 1970 conference could be supported on several grounds. It is probably true to say that work in the sociology of education has mostly been carried out within a structural/functional or systems framework. Questions have been formulated in terms of, for example, the functions of the educational system as a whole for society, the social system of the school, and the role of the teacher. Bryan Roberts is concerned with education in conditions of rapid urban growth and describes what could be termed ‘class appropriation’ of educational opportunities in such situations. There is not only a long tradition of research on the interrelations of education and the social structure but also one of research on universities.
