ABSTRACT

This chapter looks at possible patterns in the relative responsibilities of those involved in selecting a new school. It considers the process of choice, and reviews some of the evidence about when families start to consider the next school, how many schools they consider, and how they obtain information about the schools. The chapter discusses a range of work which provides data about the possible reasons for school choice, and on which the survey instrument. In a review of studies of parental choice in the UK, the author stated that “the studies are remarkably consistent in their picture of why parents avoid particular schools”. An academic advantage might be gained from attending a particular school where children make better academic progress and gain better examination results than they would have done at another school, but a claim to that effect would be hard to substantiate.