ABSTRACT
The media interest in education tends to focus on the information which it is believed parents are most interested in: how different schools have performed in relation to various tests and examinations, and their place in the published league tables. During the last 20 years, equality of opportunity debates have focused on performance and the extent to which schools are able to affect test results irrespective of the social background of children. These debates are often discussed in relation to issues of parental choice but are rooted in education’s importance to the social and economic development of society.
