Calls have been made to fix England’s “creaky” secondary admissions system as children learn what school they will be attending from this autumn.
The Local Government Association has issued a fresh call for authorities to be handed the ability to open new secondary schools, or force academies – which are not under council control – to expand, arguing that without these powers councils will not be able to meet their legal duty to ensure every child has a school place.
Primary schools in England have been struggling to keep up with demand in recent years due to a rising population and this is now moving through into secondary schools. Last year around one in six pupils finishing primary did not get a spot at their first choice of secondary school on National Offer Day.
In 2015 there were 54,600 appeals against school allocations – 3.7% of the total number of admissions to state schools. Just over a fifth (22.8%) of the appeals actually heard by a panel were decided in favour of the parents.
The government has said it pumped £5bn into creating half a million new places over the last parliament and has committed a further £7bn over the next six years.
The schools minister Nick Gibb said: “We want every parent to be able to send their children to a good local school. Despite rising pupil numbers the vast majority of parents are able to do so.
“The government is investing billions of pounds creating new schools and new school places and through our free schools programme we want to open 500 more new schools during the five years of this parliament.”
Justine Roberts, chief executive of parenting website Mumsnet, said while many families were happy with the place their child was given, others were left feeling anxious and struggling to find a spot at their preferred school.
“How well the school admissions system works depends almost entirely on where you live. Lots of parents are very content with the school places allocated to their children, but in some areas – parts of London, Bristol, East Sussex and Birmingham, for example – the admissions system is starting to feel seriously creaky.
“Stories abound of some families cheating the system, which only adds to people’s anxiety and sense of injustice; many Mumsnet users say that their children can’t get into schools that are a few hundred metres away from their front doors.
Families who do not win a place at their favoured school can appeal, and one admissions expert said more were willing to do so.
Matt Richards, of legal advice firm schoolappeals.com, said: “A few years ago out of 10 phone calls to us, maybe two would pay for some help. Now it’s more like 50%.
“People are much more switched on in terms of their legal rights and in terms of not wanting to do it on their own and asking for help.”
With the Press Association
