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Newcastle University warns against school lotteries

Less well-off families are no more likely to get a place in an oversubscribed school by a lottery than by exam selection, according to as yet unpublished research by educationalists. A study of schools and parents in Newcastle upon Tyne found that attending a non-local school is not an option for many of the worst-off families because neither a car nor a parent is available to transport the children. Middle class families are far more likely to have such resources at their disposal, enabling them to take up the places they are allocated via a school lottery system.

The researchers also found that less affluent families were far less engaged in the school choice process, typically visiting one school rather than the five or six visited by middle class parents. They also had a markedly different attitude - placing the emphasis on the ‘happy child’ rather than good exam results. The research was conducted by Dr Helen Jarvis and Dr Seraphim Alvanides, of Newcastle University, funded by the British Academy. It focused on primary schools but the researchers believe the findings would equally apply to secondary schools.

Dr Jarvis said: “Our research suggests that lotteries of over-subscribed school places would produce the worst of both worlds - greater educational polarisation and longer, more environmentally damaging car journeys to distant schools by middle class parents. “It is interesting that in Brighton, a Labour-controlled authority is proposing such a system on the grounds of fairness and equality of opportunity, whilst our research suggests it may have exactly the opposite result.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .