SATsguide.co.uk Home Contact Us Site Map
Music on/off Music On/Off
Bookmark with:
Bookmark with: del.icio.us digg reddit facebook Stumbleupon
Just ask... SATsguide.co.uk
Just ask... SATsguide.co.uk
Our tel: +44 (0) 208 920 0444. Secure Online Payments!
Young pupils studying for SAT

News

Headline: School choice 'causes distress' to parents and children
Description: The report highlights parents' worries about school admissions Parents are facing frustration and distress trying to find suitable state secondary school places for their children, MPs say.

A Commons committee says it is almost impossible for parents, particularly in cities, to have any certainty they will get their preferred school place.

The report calls for a more consistent, legally-binding admissions code.

It says selection by aptitude and the interviewing of children and their parents should cease.

'Distress'

The education select committee report also calls for the scrapping of the grammar school ballot system - though not, as some newspaper articles had suggested, grammar schools themselves.

SCHOOL ADMISSIONS REPORT

It is all but impossible for parents, particularly in urban areas, to exercise their preference with any degree of certainty about the likely result.

Education select committee




School choice: your experiences
Sheerman questions 'choice'
Selection under attack
"Far from being an empowering strategy the school admissions process, founded on parental preference, can prove a frustrating and time-consuming cause of much distress in the lives of many families," says the report, Secondary Education: School Admissions.

"It is all but impossible for parents, particularly in urban areas, to exercise their preference with any degree of certainty about the likely result."

It challenges previous claims that more than nine out of 10 families get their first preference school - saying this disguises the number who make tactical applications and do not even apply to their "favourite" school.

Appeals against decisions

Identifying a much higher level of parental dissatisfaction, the report says that in one London borough, Enfield, more than half of all admissions decisions lead to appeals.


Ministers say specialist schools are popular with parents and get higher results

Nationally, appeals have more than doubled since the mid-1990s.

The report says parents want a more transparent and consistent process.

This could mean more standardised application systems - such as the one-stop process being introduced next year for state schools in London.

And it says the current guidelines for admissions, introduced in 1999, should be legally binding.

It supports the removal of interviewing families as a factor in offering places - and calls for city technology colleges to be integrated into local admissions systems.

Much of the conflict over school places comes where popular schools are over-subscribed and schools have to choose between applicants.

The report shows that at present the overwhelming majority use factors such as whether a brother or sister is already at the school, distance from the school and any specific medical or social need.

It says the "sibling rule" should be altered so that if families move out of the area, they no longer get priority.

Selection challenge

It also proposes a different set of priorities, headed by applicants with special needs or children in care.


The report also says selection distorts local school choice - and it accuses the government of inconsistency in the apparent shift towards greater selection.

Specialist schools can select up to 10% of pupils by aptitude - and the report says this should be withdrawn.

Although only about one in 20 specialists use selection, some Labour backbenchers fear it leaves open the door to widespread selection in the future.

The report says the current local ballot system on the future of grammar schools should be scrapped as it asks the "wrong question of the wrong people".

But the report's conclusions avoid the politically-charged issues of how greater "consumer choice" might be introduced.

'Misled'

And many of its proposals would affect only a minority of parents.

There are only 14 city technology colleges, 164 grammar schools, only 2% of schools use interviews and an estimated 2% select by aptitude.

This report, by a Labour-dominated select committee, rightly shows that parents are upset, misled, let down and betrayed by the present system of largely theoretical choice.

Tim Collins, shadow education secretary

Conservative committee member Andrew Turner put forward separate conclusions, including the proposal that parents should be able to use state funds for an independent education.

The Education Secretary, Charles Clarke, said: "We will consider carefully this important report from the select committee and respond in due course."

His Conservative shadow, Tim Collins, said parents felt upset, misled, let down and betrayed.

"The committee are, however, just plain wrong to conclude that the answer is to tell parents that they cannot have choice and should just lump it."

Paul Holmes, a Liberal Democrat on the select committee, said parents did not want the "spurious choice" offered by Labour and the Tories.

"What parents want are good schools in the local neighbourhood."

The National Union of Teachers echoed the report's concern about "selection by stealth" and said the "obsession with so-called choice" had undermined the code on admissions.




Date: 01.10.2005
Email a colleague
back


http://www.livingiseasy.co.uk
Tips of the day
Professional musicians and Olympic athletes practice a
different a form of visualization: a mental rehearsal of what's about to happen. Instead of visualizing a relaxing scene, mentally rehearse the situation that's causing your stress.
Students Area Login
Login:
Password:
 

Registration
Forgot your password?
Subscribe
Register for our Newsletter...


HTML Text

Time left until the start of 2013 SATs tests...
left to 13/05/2013
Links
Brain Foods - Omega Nutrition Flax seed
Do Your Children Loathe the Taste and After Taste of Fish Oil Supplements? There is a delicious alternative – Flax Seed Oil with its subtle distinctive slightly nutty taste – take it by the spoonful, drizzle over salads or take Veg Capsules. Brain Foods - Omega Nutrition Flax seed
zoom
http://www.livingiseasy.co.uk/
Eye Zone Massager
RELAXOLOGY Electric Eyezone Massager combines three proven therapies in one quick and easy to use gadget to relieve exam stress and tension around the eyes and temples in minutes. Eye Zone Massager
zoom
http://www.eyezonemassager.co.uk/
Which Charity? Give from your heart.
So... what do we do? We will help you make the choice of who can smile tomorrow and who has to wait We endeavour to provide you with a service that directs you to charities completely relevant to what you want to give and who you want to give it to. Please feel free to have a look around and use the features of this site. Please be aware that we are under construction so all features will be available shortly. Which Charity? Give from your heart.
zoom
http://www.whichcharity.org/
Terrasil Multi-Purpose Ointment
AIDANCE TERRASIL MAX. THREE TIMES THE STRENGTH OF TERRASIL ORIGINAL TO PROVIDE EVEN FASTER RELIEF FROM A VARIETY OF CHALLENGING SKIN PROBLEMS. 14g Jar
http://www.livingiseasy.co.uk/search/?search=terrasil
Happy feet
MY HAPPYFEET LADIES RAINBOW TOE ALIGNMENT SOCKS WITH ELASTANE. Gently help separate stretch and realign your toes. Turn aching feet into happy feet.
http://www.livingiseasy.co.uk/search/?search=happy+feet
Bio Bulb
Biobulb Full Spectrum Light Bulb 25w Bayonet - 100w Equivalent (H: 140mm). The closest you can get to natural daylight
http://www.livingiseasy.co.uk/search/?search=bulb
Oxyfit - Portable Oxygen Canisters
Compact Pocket Size Canisters of Oxygen. With patented inhaler. Releases oxygen one breath at a time. Oxyfit - Portable Oxygen Canisters
zoom
http://www.livingiseasy.co.uk/search/?search=oxyfit
Powerlung - How good is your breathing?
Powerlung Deep Breathing Exercise Lung Exerciser. It could be that the way that you breathe is stealing your energy, hampering your performance or productivity, stifling your self expression or even shortening your life! Powerlung - How good is your breathing?
zoom
http://www.power-lung.co.uk
RSS Feeds
Validation
Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!