ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the arrangements for the admission of pupils to county and church schools. No attempt will be made in this chapter to give any detailed assessment of the effects of these policies. It gives us a springboard from which to initiate discussion of the main areas that have been the subject of the research.As a result of the 1980 Education Act1 parents are entitled to state a preference for any school which is controlled by their local education authority. With some authorities parents can express a preference for schools outside their jurisdiction.Local education authorities and governors of church-aided schools must comply with that preference unless to do so would ‘prejudice the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources’. There are exceptions, however, where a stated preference might be incompatible with existing agreements between the local education authority and governors of a voluntary-aided school, or in the case of a selective school where the child has not met the requirements based on academic ability and aptitude.Parents of all pupils scheduled for transfer to a secondary school were provided with information about available schools within an area and they were given the opportunity to visit them. Parents were then asked to express their preferences (usually three) and to state reasons for their preferences.The majority of local education authorities operate a catchment area policy which is defined in geographical terms resulting in an easily identifiable area. Normally, the home address determines the catchment area for a particular pupil.Nine local education authorities, while endeavouring to place as many children as possible in schools which parents had selected give
first priority to children living in the neighbourhood of the school. When the needs of the neighbourhood are met and vacant places remain they are filled with children from other areas. Six authorities’ admissions policies are committed to parental choice of secondary schools as a starting point. The remaining authority gives priority if there are siblings already attending the school. If county schools are oversubscribed, admissions are made using different priorities. No test was made of the effect of a neighbourhood school policy or its influence on the tone or academic success of schools. It is noteworthy that seventeen (61 per cent) of the twenty-eight county schools in the study were oversubscribed. There is considerable variation between authorities with some giving first priority to children who name a school as their first preference; others give first priority to children whose parents name the school for medical reasons; or where the child is attending the associated primary school or to siblings already attending the school.All pupil admissions to county schools are handled centrally by the local education authority. With a few exceptions, the arrangements for pupil admissions are the same for all county schools in a given LEA. When pupils have been allocated places at county schools parents are notified and headteachers are sent a list of the names of pupils who have been allocated a place at their school. If parents are refused their preferred school they have the right to appeal against the decision.2 In the case of admissions to selective schools in the study pupils are required to take an entrance examination and attend the school for an interview.Only one headteacher in an all-ability county school interviews pupils before allocating places. He was concerned to find out more about the children because, he said ‘primary school profiles were hopeless’ if used as the sole basis for selection.Before looking at admissions policies for church schools I want to outline the Church of England structure in church school provision.There are three levels of Church of England involvement in education — first, on a national level; secondly on an area level; and thirdly, on a local level.At the national level the National Society has a constitutional link with many church schools. Although it does exercise considerable influence its role is an advisory one. It provides legal advice to dioceses, or, where requested, to governing bodies of church schools. Guidance is given covering pupil admissions policies, finance, advice on religious education and general policy. While the National Society offers advice and makes recommendations it does not have any legal powers to implement policy.
