Thirty-eight local authorities admit to having schools which use lotteries or "fair banding". The results suggest, says The Telegraph, that, across all 150 councils up to 180,000 pupils are applying in areas where their admission could effectively be decided "by a roll of the dice" or fair banding.
This evil state manipulation smacks of East Germany. With huge understatement, Jennie Varley, of the National Grammar Schools Association, says
It seems wrong to decide the fate of children on the roll of a dice. It means that children might end up with the wrong education which can have a damaging impact on their lives.This arrogant top down lottery treats citizens as passive clients of an all-providing state.
Citizens are not there for the state. School lotteries disempower citizens, and place huge power in the hands of unelected state bureaucrats.
No decent democratic government should get away with such a policy. Let alone a government which claims to believe in individual choice and initiative.
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Although, ironically, East Germany had rather an admirable education system in some ways. Finland, which now regularly tops the league tables, modelled their system on the East Germans' system. As a friend of mine from the former East said, no one was allowed to leave school without having learnt something. Incidentally, I don't think they made much use of lotteries!
Thanks. As you recognised, I was talking about East Germany's control of their citizens' lives in general rather than their allocation of schools in particular.
You're not really saying East German parents had a choice?
We should have, and it's a scandal that Gove is pandering to the statist tendency. Let merit rule.
Lotteries reduce the power of the middle classes to achieve selection to better schools by wealth, i.e. house prices, in shrinking catchment areas.
The lottery policy will indeed annoy a lot of people who are accustomed to getting their children into good local schools. But it might at least get some attention focussed on the failing schools in poorer areas, which are otherwise of no interest to the chattering classes. Which is fairer, a lottery, or selection by house price?
No doubt East German parents had little choice (unless they were party high ups!) - it was East Germany, after all. On the other hand, humbler parents had some comfort that teachers were competent, discipline ruthless and that the school wouldn't scholastically cripple their progeny for life - indeed, some effort was put into talent spotting and nurturing. All of which mitigated the lack of choice (albeit not being an adequate compensation for having to live in East Germany).
One of the reasons we need choice so badly is because we have many dire schools, sadly. But good luck to M. Gove - and as much bravery as he can muster.
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