Call for new school admissions policy by thinktank

Schools should be banned from operating their own admissions systems if the new admissions code fails to reduce segregation, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research.

The research Fair choice: choosing a better admissions system says that unless the new admissions code leads to “significant reductions” in segregation by income and ability, local education authorities should take over the role.

Academies, foundation schools, trust schools and faith schools have no reason to be their own admissions authorities other than to select students by ability, the report, due to be published next month, will argue.

It will cite research that shows faith schools, which are their own admissions authorities, are 10 times more likely to be highly unrepresentative of their surrounding area than those where the LEA is responsible for the role. And non religious schools, which are their own admissions authorities, are six times more likely to be highly unrepresentative.