'Admissions lottery ' plan for oversubscribed schools

13 April 2012

Schools should allocate children places by "lottery" to stop middle-class families dominating the best secondaries, new Government rules suggest.

Many of the best state schools in leafy suburbs have become largely the preserve of families who can afford to buy expensive homes nearby.

Education Secretary Alan Johnson's new admissions code said a lottery could counter the house price effect and open up popular schools to children from poorer backgrounds.

Labour MPs have voiced fears that too many children from disadvantaged homes find themselves stuck in the "sink" comprehensives rejected by wealthier families.

Headteachers are now legally bound to follow the new code, which was designed to make sure all children have a fair chance of getting into their preferred schools.

The proposal for admissions lotteries is a suggestion rather than a mandatory requirement, and the code stressed that such a policy "may not be suitable in rural areas".

"Random allocation of school places can be good practice, particularly for urban areas and secondary schools," the code said.

"It may be used as the sole means of allocating places or alongside other oversubscription criteria.

"Random allocation can widen access to schools for those unable to afford to buy houses near to favoured schools and create greater social equity."

The code also contains guidance on school trips and uniforms.

Schools should not force parents to buy uniforms which are expensive and therefore beyond the reach of poorer families, it said.

"Governing bodies should ensure that the uniform chosen is widely available in high street shops and other retail outlets, and internet suppliers rather than from an expensive sole supplier," the code said.

But this guidance is not legally binding on headteachers.

Mr Johnson argued that the new rules would create a system in which all children have a fair chance of getting into their preferred school.

"Most schools have fair admission arrangements," he said.

"The new school admission code puts mandatory measures in place to ensure that this is the case at all schools, including the few schools that persist in using unfair or unnecessarily complex arrangements that can disadvantage some families and reduce the life chances of thousands of children."

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