Lotteries ‘used more’ to decide on school places

An increasing number of schools are using lotteries or “banding” pupils by ability to allocate places, writes Angela Harrison for the BBC.

More schools in England are using lotteries or “banding” pupils by ability to allocate places, an educational charity says.

The number using the methods – intended to get a broad mix of pupils – is small but growing, says the Sutton Trust.

With the “banding” method, schools take some pupils from each ability group.

The trust says the growth is because more schools are becoming academies – state-funded but independent schools that can set their own admission rules.

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According to research for the Sutton Trust, carried out by the London School of Economics, the number of schools using banding increased from 95 in 2008 to 121 in the past academic year.

On top of that, 42 schools were using lotteries – also known as random allocation.

However, there are more than 20,000 schools in England, so as a proportion, the numbers are small.

Conor Ryan, from the Sutton Trust, said: “It is encouraging that more schools and academies are using banding and ballots as a way to get a more balanced intake.

“Access to the most popular comprehensives should not be limited to those who can afford to pay a premium on their mortgages or rents.

“We believe that more urban schools should use such methods, but for them to be most effective, they should develop them in partnership with other schools and local authorities.”

Read the full article here.