SCHOOL choice is a bit like a strange game of musical chairs: although there are enough chairs for everyone, some are more desirable than others, and research suggests that disadvantaged children always end up on the rickety chair.
A study by the Centre for Market and Public Organisation (CMPO) found that children who are eligible for free school meals are about 40 per cent less likely to go to the good school than their better-off peers.
Choice, the researchers conclude, is not available to all as “the capacity to exercise and implement choice differs between people”. Expansion doesn’t always provide the answer either, as popular schools may be unable or unwilling to do so for fear of losing their league table ranking. www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/CMPO