This chapter explores central sociological issues in education. We consider the changing social context of education, including the major policy shifts of recent decades. We examine debates about the social nature of the curriculum, and about the relationship of education to the labour market and to social inequality. In addition, we document the ways that class, race, ethnicity and gender are reflected in educational outcomes. Finally, the chapter compares a range of sociological explanations for patterns of educational success and failure, from explanations that focus upon "natural" differences, and those that target the schools, to accounts that explore how pupils use education in the formation of their own identities.