Secondary school admissions are fairer but not fair enough

Local authorities should decide which children go to which secondary school, not the schools themselves, researchers say.
As year 6 children hear which schools they will be going to next year, an independent study calls for simpler admissions procedures to all schools, and a fairer system for allocating places to oversubscribed schools.
The study by the Education Research Group at the London School of Economics found that most schools were following the Government's Schools Admissions Code which was brought in in 2007.
But one in 20 schools were using criteria designed to select pupils by ability in a particular subject - more than in 2001 when the last similar study was done.
Some schools are also using "supplementary information forms" which could be disadvantaging some families and are also asking questions which could be used to select on or select out certain groups of pupils.
In community schools and some others the local authority allocates pupils to schools but some academies, some voluntary aided schools and foundation schools select pupils themselves.
The researchers say there is a strong case for either the local authority or a religious body with no vested interest in the outcome to be responsible for the allocation of places at all schools.
Secondary schools in England: policy and practice

Schools breaking law on admissions

Primary schools are breaking the law on admissions policies, the government says.

A “significant minority” are breaching new rules designed to make admissions fairer. Some required parents to sign an agreement to make regular financial contributions, and one London primary school admitted asking parents for a £50 “application fee”.

Some interviewed children, or asked parents about their marital status and financial circumstances. Schools were also not giving children in local authority care (“looked after” children) the priority they are obliged to by law.

All schools in a sample of three authorities – Manchester, Northamptonshire and the London borough of Barnet - were checked to see if they were complying with the admissions law.

Schools Minister Jim Knight said it was "shocking" this was still going on.