How ballots and banding are shaking up school admissions

Philip Noden co-author of the Sutton Trust’s Ballots and Banding report, reflects on the report’s findings in this article in The Conversation.

As parents across England wait nervously for news of where their children have been allocated a secondary school place, new admissions policies of banding and ballots have come under scrutiny.

The recent Parent power? report for the Sutton Trust illustrated once again the myriad ways that advantaged families can try to secure a good education for their children.

Ranging from the downright dishonest to the simple exercise of economic power, the report identified the wide range of methods used to bag a desirable school place.

More than 30% of parents from the highest socio-economic group had moved to live in an area which they thought had good schools. Another 5% had bought a second home and used that address in order for their children to gain access to a specific school. And more than 5% had used a relative’s address in order for their children to gain access to a specific school.

Read the full article here.