Parents warned of 'less school choice'

Parents would apply to a group of schools say heads

Parents could have less choice over which school they send their children to under government plans, head teachers are warning.

Heads say that plans to group schools together under a "super-head" would mean parents had less say over their children's schools.

Parents would have to apply to a group or federation of schools with no guarantee of a place at the school they liked best, says David Hart, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers.

The claim has been rejected by the government, which says federations will not affect admissions rights or choice.

Free choice

Mr Hart, who is involved in talks with the government on the plans, said a federation would allocate a place for a child at one of its schools.

"A model of a federation is of two or more schools coming together under a single governing body," he said.

"That body is the admissions authority and will decide what the admissions policy should be.

"I think it is inevitable that parents will have to apply to a federation as a whole."

The government insists parents will still have free choice.

When people are given power to innovate they will do so in an imaginative way

Graham Lane, Local Government Association

A spokesman for the Department for Education and Skills said there were no plans to change current admissions law which entitles parents to express separate preferences for separate schools.

He said: "Even where federations involve schools having a single governing body, the schools will still be separate and parents will apply to them individually.

"Federation will not affect parents' admission rights or choices.

"It will just help schools to work together and support each other."

The issue of state school admissions is a hot potato for the government, with many parents complaining about a lack of real choice.

In London, one third of parents fail to get their child into the secondary school of their choice.

Professor Tim Brighouse, appointed by the government to improve school standards in London, has complained at the vast array of admissions' procedures across the capital and has pledged to simplify the system.

Innovative

Graham Lane, the education chairman of the Local Government Association can see many benefits from school federations in terms of improving standards and learning.

He thinks those involved in federations will want to innovate and may well want to shake up admissions systems.

"I think the civil service have got it wrong," he said.

"They will find that when people are given power to innovate they will do so in an imaginative way."

Mr Lane said changes to admissions policies could be useful in improving standards across the board.

He believes smaller schools in rural areas will be the first to benefits from federations.

Parents should not worry, he said.

"The changes could help put study first rather than institutions," he said.