Richard Garner reports for the Independent on a new Sutton Trust poll.

A growing number of parents support the idea of ballots to determine which children are successful in applying to oversubscribed schools, according to a new poll published today.

The poll of 1,129 parents by YouGov for the education charity the Sutton Trust showed nearly half backed the idea of ballots for schools – with 28 per cent believing a ballot should be introduced for all places while 19 per cent believed the allocation should be split between ballots and proximity to the school.

The charity, which campaigns for equal access to education for all, is now intending to raise the issue with ministers as part of a 10-point charter to improve social mobility.

Dr Lee Elliot Major, director of policy and development at the Sutton Trust, said: “Fairer admissions and fairer access must be at the hearts of any programme to improve social mobility. Our poll shows an appetite for change in oversubscribed comprehensives and academies.”

Read the full article on the Independent website.

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