Heartache as pupils miss out on state secondary places

Almost 92,000 children (or one in six) have been refused a place at their first choice of secondary school this year, rising to one in three in London and its suburbs. Some 30,000 children were rejected from at least three schools and could be forced to attend unpopular comprehensives.

Many families that have faced the scramble for places may now have to go through the stressful appeals process.

Some educationalists have blamed this on the numbers of families choosing to leave the independent sector, in particular in London. However, as Liberal Democrat spokesperson Annette Brooke comments, "It is inevitable that ‘good' schools will be over-subscribed and that some pupils will lose out."

In Buckinghamshire, which still has selective schooling, almost 47 per cent of pupils missed out on their first choice. Other grammar school areas followed this trend, with 22 per cent in Kent and 11 per in Lincolnshire.

Middle classes out-manoeuvred

The middle classes who moved closer to good schools - often paying a premium for property - have been out-manoeuvred by the Government's move to introduce place allocation by lottery or ‘fair-banding'. This means that a number of pupils of poor ability are being allocated places in state schools, in order to keep them truly ‘comprehensive'.

This has led to criticism that children's futures could be decided on the ‘roll of a dice'.

Parents can turn to private schools in this scenario. "Many independent schools get applicants late in the admissions process who have been turned down by a maintained school," says Dr Tim Hands of Magdalen College School in Oxford. "This school always seeks to do its best by those pupils. Often such pupils are among a school's most significant successes as rejection turns into acceptance and achievement." 

Labour says: The Schools Minister, Sarah McCarthy-Fry, comments: "Parents have a right of appeal against any application that has been turned down and over the summer, local authorities and schools will be re-allocating places where others have moved address or chosen a different education for their child."

Conservatives say: Shadow Schools Secretary, Michael Gove, comments: "The real problem is the lack of good schools. Far too many parents are denied a chance to educate their children in high quality schools."

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