Schools decision divides Camden

Camden has some of the best schools in London

Parents are preparing to fight a north London council's decision to restrict access to its popular secondary schools from September 2005.

Camden Council voted to amend its admissions policy on Wednesday to give priority to children who have already attended a primary school in the borough.

The borough has some of the best exam results in inner London and the education authority is ranked in the top 25% in the country.

Many Camden parents are pleased at the decision, but others are angry their children will effectively be excluded from their nearest secondary schools.

Under the Greenwich Judgement, a High Court ruling, local education authorities cannot give preference to their own residents.

But the new policy will rule out many families who live near schools, but just over the borough boundary, if they have sent their children to a primary school outside Camden.

'A lot of people are angry'

Some parents have now been granted legal aid to fight Wednesday's council decision.

One mother told BBC London: "I have spoken to a lot of parents and everyone's really angry.

"What we want is good community schools and cutting off half the community to one particular school really doesn't make any sense."

The council decision is supported by most of Camden's secondary schools and many parents.

There's evidence young children do better when there is good continuity between junior school and senior school Nick Smith, Camden councillor

But Ackland Burleigh School's chair of governors, Pat Cattell, said there were still some concerns.

She said: "If this new regulation comes in then in effect, it is drawing a line right through our long established catchment area.

"And virtually half of our present student population will be cut out because they go to [primary] schools in Islington."

Camden's education spokesman Councillor Nick Smith, said the decision was being made for educational reasons.

He said: "There's some national research, which is important evidence, which says young children do better when there is good continuity between junior school and senior school.

"So we want to change our admission policy, so that the big, difficult move up top secondary school is as easy as possible."