Balls Up For It?

Is it time to reverse the Greenwich decision? What’s that you ask? In 1989 there was a court case which basically said that it was illegal for Councils to give preference to pupils living in their own Borough. I have no problem with other councils wanting to send their children to be educated in one of Barnet’s schools. Let’s face it our schools are on the whole better than those in neighbouring Boroughs. That’s why we ‘import’ more pupils than we ‘export’ – no that’s not child trafficking – but simply that more children come into our schools than we send out to neighbouring Councils’ schools.

Given the hullabaloo about admissions this week – inaccurate and inflammatory accusations from the Secretary of State for Children – made me think would reversing the Greenwich decision be the answer? Mr Balls likes the idea of a Borough wide lottery – although given the geographic size of Barnet this would cause major logistical problems for parents as they shunted their children up and down the Borough.

However Mr Balls seems to have avoided allowing Councils to give preference to their own pupils. If we could offer places to our pupils first; then just top up empty places from neighbouring Boroughs perhaps we may be able to offer parents a school of their preference 100% of the time - not just the 76% who currently get their first or second preference. Is Mr Balls up for it?

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