School admissions: half lose out in some areas

By Graeme Paton, Andrew Hough and Laura Roberts Published: 6:33PM GMT 01 March 2010

More young kids have been since their initial preference propagandize this year, mostly driven by a dump in the series of pupils in the year group, total showed. Photo: ALAMY

Thousands of 10 and 11-year-olds were forced to accept second, third or even sixth-choice schools, it was disclosed.

Competition was quite parsimonious in large cities such as London and Birmingham where relatives can select in between dozens of permitted schools.

Parents in propagandize admissions rascal Ed Balls orders crackdown on propagandize admissions rascal School admissions: one-in-20 forced in to "unwanted" schools Tory plan to give schools some-more leisure Thousands miss out in competition for propagandize places School admissions reforms "failing"

Large numbers of young kids were additionally deserted in areas with educational preference underlining the stability direct for abbreviation propagandize places.

In a little tools of the south-east, councils pronounced a climb in the series of relatives labelled out of in isolation preparation was to censure for some-more vigour on state schools.

Peter Martin, cupboard part of for preparation in Surrey, pronounced the series of applications was "more than we would design since the bieing born rates for those years" and insisted the county was being forced to set up some-more classroom spaces to cope.

Elsewhere, internal authorities reported that investigations had been launched to allegations of admissions fraud.

Derby, Hartlepool, Telford and Wrekin, Barnet and Hackney councils pronounced they suspected cheating. In Telford, officials pronounced around 6 relatives had attempted to make use of fake addresses on forms.

Across England, the relatives of roughly 600,000 young kids were sent letters, emails and content messages on Monday informing them that delegate propagandize sons and daughters had got in to for September.

The Dailyobtained interpretation from two-thirds of the countrys 150 internal authorities.

Nationally, total indicate some-more young kids have been since their initial preference propagandize this year, mostly driven by a dump in the series of pupils in the year group.

Among those councils that granted figures, around six-in-10 pronounced some-more young kids had cumulative places at their elite school.

The Government insisted that some-more relatives were confident with propagandize allocations since of improvements in hearing formula and callous manners on admissions that anathema schools from utilizing growth selection.

But total show that half of young kids are still longed for out in a little areas.

Just 54 per cent of 11-year-olds in Buckinghamshire that operates educational preference gained a place at their initial preference school.

Competition was additionally parsimonious in London boroughs, with usually 48.6 per cent of young kids gaining their elite place in Wandsworth.

Six alternative councils, together with Southwark, Lambeth and Hammersmith and Fulham, published total display that less than 60 per cent of pupils were awarded their initial choice.

Some 6 per cent were deserted from up to 6 schools in London forcing relatives to accept without a friend comprehensives.

In Birmingham, usually two-third of young kids gained places in their elite school, a tumble compared with last year.

The fist on places has led a little over-subscribed schools to run argumentative "lotteries" in that names are effectively picked from a hat.

The complement is in use to stop middle-class relatives jumping the reserve for the most appropriate schools by shopping homes in the catchment area.

Lotteries are believed to be used in at slightest one propagandize in a third of internal authorities. Hertfordshire legislature told theyesterday that 7 schools had in use the system.

Michael Gove, shade schools secretary, said: "Unfortunately as well mostly as well most relatives dont get the propagandize they want. The being is that it is usually the abounding who can pledge the kind of preparation they wish for their children."