Schools admission system ‘widens the gap between the rich and the poor’

Families in the most affluent areas are twice as likely as those in the poorest to secure their top choice of school through the appeals and waiting lists system, analysis by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) suggests.

It found that families from some ethnic minority groups are more likely to miss out on their top choice compared to white British families.

The EPI has called on the Government to “level the playing field” when it comes to admissions and appeals, provide support for parents going through the appeal process, and deliver on its promise to review the system “or risk damaging social mobility,” report author Emily Hunt said.

The Institute examined data from local authorities from 2016/17, when around 86,000 families in England were not offered their first choice school. Of these, around one in seven, 13,000, successfully appealed or used waiting lists to secure their top choice.

Researchers found that family background, ethnicity, and pupil attainment at primary school had the most impact on the likelihood of getting into a first-choice secondary school.

White British and Chinese pupils are more likely to get a place in their top preference than black and Asian pupils, while disadvantaged pupils are also more likely to miss out on their first choice after going through the appeal process.

Last month, the Yorkshire Post reported that there was significant regional variation in students getting their top choice of school for this coming September, with just 72 per cent of students in Bradford seeing success in top choice bids, compared to 94 per cent East Riding.

Regionally, the EPI report found that parents were most likely to be offered their first choice of school, first time around, in East Riding, at 97 per cent, and Doncaster and Rotherham at 96 per cent. While nationally, just one in seven appeals were successful, of the small number of families that appealed in East Riding, four in ten eventually were given a spot in their first choice school.

The report also highlighted that parents were not using all of their options when it came to applications, leaving some slots blank. The EPI said parents how fail to use all their options were at greater risk of ending up with a school place they were unhappy with.

In North Yorkshire, 99 per cent of parents do not fill out all of their slots - compared to 72 per cent nationally.

North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for education and skills, Judith Kirk, said parents were encouraged to list five preferences on their applications.

“The national requirement is three,” she said. “We urge parents to make use of all these preferences and to include their catchment school among them.

“In North Yorkshire, we have a good reputation for achieving around 90 per cent of first choice preferences for children, which is above the national average.”

Ms Hunt, said the current system in England is “reinforcing inequalities in education”.

“If you are a family from the very poorest neighbourhood, then your odds of securing your top choice of school by appealing or using waiting lists is half that of a family from the most affluent neighbourhood.

“This is particularly concerning as parents use these routes to access schools with higher Ofsted ratings, and these schools also have socially advantaged intakes.

“The Government should deliver on its recent promise to review the schools admissions system, or risk damaging social mobility.”

A Department for Education spokeswoman said that last year’s figures showed 93.8 per cent of families received an offer of a place at one of their top three preferred secondary schools.

She added: “Every parent or carer who has been refused a place at a school has the right to appeal.

“We have provided guidance for parents to help them understand the process and have made clear to appeals panels they must ensure the process consistent, with all parties being treated fairly.”