Admissions statistics for secondary schools published

11 Mar 2010 03:21 PM More than 83 per cent of pupils will go to their first-choice secondary school this September, while 96.6 per cent will attend one of their preferred schools, official statistics today reveal.

The first-choice figure of 83.2 per cent is the same as last year, while those attending one of their preferences is slightly up from 2009’s 96.2 per cent.

From Monday 1 March, national offer day, 529,645 families will have found out where their children will start secondary school this September.

Schools Minister Vernon Coaker said:

Today’s figures show that the vast majority of parents are very satisfied with the admissions system and are getting their children to the schools of their choice.

It is every parent’s right to expect that their child attends a good school, and the huge improvement in schools rated good since 1997 means they can have real confidence in our education system.

Even if every single school was outstanding, there will always be popular schools which receive more applications than they have places to offer. But second choice does not mean second class.

Parents now have more choice – because there are now undeniably more good schools because of unprecedented levels of funding – and standards have gone up across the board.

Alongside our investment in teachers, support staff, school buildings and our relentless focus on standards, we are working to ensure that every school gives pupils the best possible start in life.

We cannot guarantee every parent a place at their first-choice school but the School Admissions Code underpins the best admissions system we have ever had – it places parents and families at the heart of the admissions system and ensures that school places are allocated in a fair and transparent way.

Parents have a fair opportunity of getting into a school of their choice – we’ve outlawed unfair and covert admission practices which penalised low-income families.

There’s no question – local authorities or schools must comply with the School Admissions Code.

The Annual Report by the independent Chief Schools Adjudicator, Ian Craig, published last year, found that compliance with the School Admissions Code and associated legislation is increasing year on year.

Fraudulent applications

Following that report, Schools Secretary Ed Balls asked Dr Craig to look into fraudulent or misleading applications for school places. That report is also published today and is available on the Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA) website.

Dr Craig sets out a number of recommendations in the report, outlining measures which would strengthen the admissions procedure to reduce the number of fraudulent applications being made earlier in the process. His report includes unverified figures, but he estimates that 4,200 fraudulent applications were made last year, including identified and non-identified applications. Dr Craig estimates that there were 1,400 identified cases.

His recommendations include that

The Code should require LA Admissions booklets and forms to have clear statements on them to say that in signing the parent is making a truthful application, and clearly pointing out what can happen if it is not found to be truthful.
Local authorities should be encouraged to publicise a “whistle-blowing” telephone number in their admissions booklets and elsewhere.
Local authorities should routinely check, as a minimum, a random 10 per cent sample of applications, and alert parents to this in their admissions booklets.
In cases where deception is proved, there should be a duty on local authorities that places must be withdrawn.

Dr Craig also mentions the idea that a fast-track appeals panel should convene to hear suspect applications.

In his response to Dr Craig, Ed Balls said:

I take this issue very seriously, and am keen to address it proportionately. While I am reassured that only a tiny minority of parents apply dishonestly, I am also clear that every place gained by deception is denying another child their rightful place.

As I said in my response to your October report, I have always been clear that it has not been and is not our intention that parents should be criminalised. I am therefore grateful for your follow-up work, exploring a range of possible sanctions beyond those set out in the current code on the withdrawal of places to strengthen our response.

It is clear that there is no single answer to the issue and that a co-ordinated approach is necessary. I believe it is important for local authorities to examine their local practices, to consider where they can deter dishonesty and ensure early and consistent enforcement so that families are not unfairly deprived of a rightful place.

No child should be punished for their parents’ actions, but neither should families on waiting lists be unfairly disadvantaged or delayed. So, where deception is found after the child has started school, the default position – that places are withdrawn - should be firmly linked to your proposal for fast-track appeals - to be heard within two weeks of the deception being found, and with the child remaining in school until the appeal panel is held. It will be for the independent appeal panel to decide whether the child should retain a place within the school.

On the recommendation that local authorities check a random 10 per cent of applications, Ed Balls added:

This – along with further information in the School Admissions Code on detecting fraudulent applications and how they can be addressed, with letters being sent to parents whose applications are suspect – seems to be a reasonable approach.

Parents can appeal against refusal of any school place applied for. Places are also re-allocated throughout the summer as a result of the knock-on effect of, for example, upheld appeals and families moving out of the area. This frees up places in schools which may have children on their waiting lists.

Improvement in schools since 1997

There have been radical improvements in our state schools over the last 13 years:

The number of National Challenge schools has dropped from around 1,600 in 1997 to 247 this year.
Investment in our schools has increased by 65 per cent in real terms from £30bn in 1997-98 to £63bn in 2007-08.
There are more than 40,000 more teachers than in 1997.

However, the Government will not be content until every school is succeeding.

On online applications

The number of online applications has risen from 30 per cent last year to 43.6 per cent. We welcome this encouraging rise in online applications and will continue to work with, and support, local authorities to increase significantly the proportion of applications for school places being made on-line.

Further information

The follow-up report to the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on fraudulent or misleading applications for admission to schools from the Office of the Schools Adjudicator is available from the OSA website.

Ed Balls's letter to Dr Ian Craig, Chief Adjudicator of the OSA regarding fraudulent applications.

The Secondary School Applications and Offers 2010 can be found on DCSF's website.

All maintained schools must act in accordance with the statutory School Admissions Code and related legislation.