School Choice Q&A

Fraser’s report from Michael Gove’s education reform shindig today is a must-read. I agree with him that this is the key point Gove, Cameron and the Tories need to make: “In your neighbourhood, there will be a new school going out of its way to persuade you to send your children there. It will market itself on being able to generate better results, and it won’t cost you an extra penny.”


Commenting on my last post on the matter, David asked these questions:

What happens when the school is oversubscribed by parents wanting to exercise their choice?
Is this really such a terrible problem? N-one would suggest that people shouldn’t be able to choose their university simply because Oxford and Cambridge and the LSE and countless courses at universities around the country are over-subscribed. Reforms that free schools from the tyranny of LEAs and empower parents and headteachers alike provide incentives (since money follows pupils) for successful schools to expand either on their existing premises or by setting up new schools to cope with increased demand.