ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests that the changes brought about by the parental choice provisions in the 1980 Education Act and the 1981 Education Act can be interpreted. In an attempt to assess the significance of the parental choice provisions introduced into Scotland by the 1981 Education Act. Local education authorities were prohibited from setting maximum admission limits the physical capacity of the school and from refusing to admit children when there was room for them at the schools. The fact that parents and teachers would jointly aim to match a child having a given set of aptitudes and abilities with a school that was conducive to that particular child suggests that this criticism is not a particularly strong one. The correct balance between individual rights and social justice, and between parental choice and equality of educational opportunity has still to be found. Liberal economic theory assumes that individuals are the best judges of what is in their own best interests.
