Winning the Lottery

Applying for a school place is a tense time for most parents, especially in the state sector.

There are a limited number of strong schools in the state sector across the UK and a lot of families chasing places in them. Only 7% of pupils in the UK attend a private school.

A new approach to allocate places has just been piloted in a number of areas across England – deciding by "lottery". Families apply for their preferred school as usual but when that school is oversubscribed, names are pulled out of a hat to decide who goes and who doesn't.

The lottery's main strength is that it removes the tendency for wealthier parents to group around the better schools, pushing out poorer families. Some argue that this "postcode education" is harming social cohesion.

Those who argue against note that it removes parental choice – a key theme of the government’s education policy - as well as pushing many families into the private sector. Independent schools in Brighton – where state secondary places have been decided by lottery for the first time this year – say that they saw a huge rise in applications this year.

The government's argument is that admissions policy is a red herring. The key to provide parents with choice and to heal society is to ensure that all schools are performing well. However, that is proving easier to say, than achieve.