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83.2 per cent of pupils get first-choice secondary school place |
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New report also outlines recommendations to reduce fraudulent applications.
Statistics show that 83.2 per cent of pupils will go to their first-choice secondary school this September.
The first-choice figure stayed the same as last year, while those attending one of their preferred schools is up from 2009’s 96.2 per cent to 96.6 per cent.
The number of online applications has risen from 30 per cent last year to 43.6 per cent.
Schools Secretary Ed Balls asked Chief Schools Adjudicator, Ian Craig, to look into fraudulent or misleading applications for school places, following his report last year which found that compliance with the School Admissions Code and associated legislation is increasing year on year.
Craig sets out recommendations in the report, outlining measures to strengthen the admissions procedure to reduce the number of fraudulent applications.
These 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.
Also, local authorities should be encouraged to publicise a ‘whistle-blowing’ telephone number in their admissions booklets and elsewhere and should routinely check, as a minimum, a random ten per cent sample of applications, and alert parents to this in their admissions booklets and in cases where deception is proved, there should be a duty on local authorities that places must be withdrawn.
Schools Minister Vernon Coaker said: "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."
"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."
Further information:
DCSF |
