Good schools should be rewarded and bad ones penalised, a report says

The Social Market Foundation think-tank said parents should be able to list up to six schools, in order of choice, anywhere in England.

Ballots would then be drawn for those which are over-subscribed until each pupil is allocated a place.

This SMF said this would make the school entry system "equal for all", and "improve standards and social mixing".

'Buying a way in'

It is also calling for a transport subsidy, "so that all parents have a real choice".

An SMF spokesman said: "The present admissions system has not raised educational standards because it guarantees schools an intake regardless of how badly they perform.

"It is also more likely to benefit the rich than the poor: middle-class parents can buy their way into a good school by moving into its catchment area. This is fundamentally unfair."

The current admissions system allocates places in oversubscribed schools by who lives nearest.

According to the SMF, this takes the form of catchment areas in 61% of English secondary schools.

Proximity to school gates was used by 86%, ease and convenience of travel by 6% and attendance at "feeder" primary schools by 28%.

A survey by Sainsbury's Bank suggests 70,000 of those people moving house between April and September this year did so to get their children into better schools.

Preferences

Professor Harry Brighouse, of London University's Institute of Education, said: "The 'catchment area' system is choice through the housing market, so gives choice to the most advantaged and not to the least advantaged."

The SMF wants school funding to operate entirely according to the number of pupils attending, rather than a block grant regardless of popularity.

Under its scheme, parents would be asked to list their six preferences in order. A ballot would be held for those schools with more first preferences than places.

If a child did not get into their first choice, they would be allocated to their second, unless that school receives more second choices than it had remaining places.

In this case there would be a second round of ballots, for second choices only, at these schools.

This process would continue through to sixth choices if necessary.

Local authorities would be stripped of their admissions function but would still be expected to guarantee a school place for each child in their area.

But Liberal Democrat education spokesman Phil Willis said: "A ballot system might seem fair, but unless exceptions are made for siblings and those with special educational needs it could be disastrous for parents and schools.

"Any admission system must take into account local needs and therefore must operate at local level, otherwise we could see children in rural areas having to travel unacceptable distances to get to school."