Faith schools ‘shunning poor pupils’

Church schools are shunning the poorest children as the middle classes tighten their grip on the best school places, according to a new report.

Educational charity the Sutton Trust found there are 1,576 primary schools in England which are ‘highly socially selective’.

Each has a proportion of disadvantaged pupils that is at least 9.2 percentage points different from the communities they serve.

It said many of these select on faith-based criteria, which prioritise middle class families who are more likely to be regular church-goers.

And it added that research by the Education Datalab showed socially selective schools are more likely to be high-performing – so deprived children are being barred from some of the best schools.

It comes as hundreds of families across the country will find out which primary school their child has been allocated on Monday, which has become known as National Offer Day.

Trust chairman Sir Peter Lampl said: ‘Disadvantaged young people should have the same chance of accessing the best state school in their neighbourhood as their better off neighbour.

‘Today’s findings warn us that primary school admissions are far from a level-playing field.’

Read her full report here