Simon Burgess questions the way schools are choosing pupils

More than half of all children in England did not attend the secondary school nearest their home, researchers at Bristol University found.

The more choices available, the more segregated pupils were by background.

Poorer pupils living near good schools often had to travel long distances to go to worse ones outside their area, the study said.

Exam results

Economist Simon Burgess told BBC News: "Even for the poorer kids who live near a good school, something is happening in the system that makes them travel further to go to a worse school."

The study, called Sorting and Choice in English Secondary Schools, looked at the degree of segregation, based on income, within neighbourhoods.

It then compared this with how much children from different groups were "sorted" by school.

The researchers discovered that in areas where there was most educational choice - eight or more schools within 10 minutes' drive - pupils were more segregated by school than by home address.

The schools where there was a greater concentration of poorer pupils tended to do worse in exams.

'Dramatic sorting'

Local education authorities have elaborate rules regarding selection, but the study suggests these are not always being enforced.

Professor Burgess said further work was needed to find out how schools and local authorities were deciding where to send children.

He added: "There is more dramatic sorting of pupils where there are more choices.

"The way the system works, schools can't expand to take everyone. Once schools are over-subscribed, schools and LEAs have to make decisions about whom to let in."

The researchers, from the university's Centre for Market and Public Organisation, found only 45% of children went to the secondary school nearest their home.