HC Deb 19 January 1988 vol 125 cc631-2W
Ms. Armstrong

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children did not obtain their first choice of secondary schools in each of the last three years, in each local education authority.

Mr. Dunn

Information is not available in the form requested. From informal inquiries made of local education authorities in 1983, I understand that about 10,000 parental appeals were heard against a decision not to offer a place at the school of their choice. Similar inquiries conducted in 1985 suggested a figure of 9,000 appeals. These figures did not however differentiate between appeals in respect of primary and secondary school admissions. Nor did they reveal how many parents did not get their first choice for their child, but decided not to appeal.