The admissions criteria of secondary Free Schools

Morris, R.

doi:10.1080/03054985.2014.921614

The admissions criteria of secondary Free Schools

Morris, R.

Authors

R. Morris

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an analysis of the admissions criteria used by the first two waves of secondary Free Schools in England. The type of criteria and their ranked order is explored and their potential impact on the school composition is considered. The findings demonstrate the diversity of criteria being used by this new type of school and give some insight in to how Free Schools appear to be prioritising access. As Free Schools operate outside Local Authority control with regards to admissions procedures they are able to choose their own feeder schools, set their own catchment areas, prioritise particular postcode districts, guarantee places for children of the school’s founders or opt to use banding systems. Whilst the admissions policies of the majority of secondary Free Schools appear to be adhering to the 2012 Admissions Code legislation, this study highlights the influence that such criteria may have in creating intakes which are less balanced in terms of socioeconomic status, ethnicity or religious affiliation.

Citation

Morris, R. (2014). The admissions criteria of secondary Free Schools. Oxford Review of Education, 40(3), 389-409. https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2014.921614

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Apr 30, 2014
Online Publication Date	May 21, 2014
Publication Date	May 4, 2014
Deposit Date	Oct 5, 2016
Publicly Available Date	Oct 18, 2016
Journal	Oxford Review of Education
Print ISSN	0305-4985
Electronic ISSN	1465-3915
Publisher	Taylor and Francis Group
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	40
Issue	3
Pages	389-409
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2014.921614

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Copyright Statement
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in Oxford Review of Education on 21/05/2014, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/03054985.2014.921614.