Pupils who get free school meals miss out on best schools, say Barnardo's

27th August 2010, 10:04am

The children's charity Barnardo's has spoken out in defence of poorer children – including those that are entitled to free school meals – as being at a disadvantage when it comes to being selected for the “good” schools and going on to higher education.

The charity found that pupils in receipt of free school meals stand only a 13% chance of going onto higher education, while better off pupils who do not get their meals paid for have a 32% chance of securing higher education – revealing a gap of 19 per cent.

According to the charity, poor children, already lagging behind their better-off peers in terms of educational achievement are held back by socially selective school admissions.

The charity has said that children born into disadvantage, already less likely to do well in school, are also more likely to leave at 16 and become 'NEET' (not in education, employment or training). They also found that these pupils were less likely to go onto higher education and condemned to go to the worst not the best schools.

They add that while able and articulate parents will go to extraordinary lengths to increase the odds of their child getting in to their chosen secondary school - moving house, hiring private tutors or attending Church more regularly - many poorer parents find it impossible to navigate the daunting school admissions system.

Barnardo's say that the system for determining school admissions is complex and presents a particular challenge for disadvantaged families who are leading chaotic lives. Frequent house moves, a lack of spoken or written English, disability or learning difficulty, and domestic violence, are just some of the circumstances which lead to many parents failing to submit an application for their child at all.

Barnardo's chief executive, Martin Narey, said: "The school admissions system has become a complex game, one that many parents in poorer households are not aware is going on around them.

"Unfair admissions practices result in schools with skewed intakes that do not reflect the population of the surrounding area. The top secondary schools in England take on average only five per cent of pupils entitled to free school meals (a proxy for low income); this is less than half the national average.

"Despite evidence showing that social segregation harms pupil performance and that all children do better if schools have a mix of pupil ability and background, half of all pupils entitled to free school meals are still concentrated in a quarter of secondary schools.

"Secondary school admissions fail to ensure a level playing field for all children. Instead we are seeing impenetrable clusters of privilege forming around the most popular schools."

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