Nearly a third of Birmingham children fail to get into first choice school
Almost a third of children in Birmingham were left disappointed in the annual scramble for school places this year, after they were turned away from their first choice.
The number of 11-year-olds who failed to win a place in any of their top three choices was one in eight – significantly higher than the national average.
Birmingham City Council said its figures reflected the popularity of the city’s eight grammar schools, with some parents choosing grammars for all three choices.
Conservative and Liberal democrat politicians at Westminster blamed the Government for the annual battle for secondary school places, saying it showed there were still too many failing schools which parents were desperate to avoid.
Figures published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families showed that nearly 17 per cent of pupils across England, more than one in six, were refused a place in their first choice of secondary school this year.
In the West Midlands the figure was slightly higher with almost 19 per cent, about one in five youngsters, rejected from their first choice. But in Birmingham the figure was 32 per cent.
Nationally, only five per cent of youngsters, one in 20, were unable to go to one of their top three choices. However, the figure in Birmingham was 13 per cent.
Black Country authorities Sandwell and Walsall also had high numbers of disappointed children.
In Sandwell, 25 per cent of children were turned away from their first choice of school while one in 11 children failed to win a place at any of their top three choices.
A quarter of children in Walsall were also turned down by their first choice, while about one in 12 were told there was no room in their top three schools.
In Warwickshire, one in four were turned away from their first choice of school and about one in 17 were unable to gain a place at their top three choices. In Worcestershire, the figure was one in ten for the first choice of school and one in 20 for the top three.
Families learnt of their child’s allocation by letter last week.
A spokesman for Birmingham City Council said the figures were higher because of the popularity of the city’s seven selective schools.
Many parents chose three grammar schools as their three top choices, an official said. He added: “Parents can list up to six preferences and you’ll find that many put a comprehensive as their fourth choice, which their child eventually goes to.”
The Department for Children, Schools and Families insisted parents had more choice than ever because standards had improved.
Schools minister Sarah McCarthy-Fry also said the admissions process had become fairer because the government had taken action against schools which bent the rules and introduced selection, for example by interviewing parents.
She said: “Parents have the right of appeal against any application that has been turned down; and, over the summer, local authorities and schools will be re-allocating places where others have moved address or chosen a different education for their child.”
But Conservative schools spokesman Nick Gibb said the figures demonstrated the need to improve unpopular schools. He said: “These figures clearly show us that England does not have enough good schools. The Government will not give teachers the power they need to keep order, will not give them the power they need to search for dangerous items, and will not give heads the power they need over pay and conditions to attract and keep great teachers in poorer areas.”
