§ Mrs. Rosie BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action he intends to take in the light of the London borough of Greenwich's decision to change its secondary schools' admission policy contrary to the undertakings given in its education development plan as published in February 1989, thus excluding children living in the London borough of Lewisham from local schools; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. RumboldInner London borough development plans were published under section 165 of the Education Reform Act 1988 as a basis for local consultation designed to inform councils' formal policy decisions. In relation to school admissions, the relevent formal decisions are those subsequently reflected in admission arrangements published, by Greenwich as by other inner London boroughs, under section 8 of the Education Act 1980. Under section 6 of that Act, parents may express a preference for any school, regardless of its location; LEAs and governors are required to comply with that expression of parental preference, subject to strictly defined reliefs as set out in sections 6(3) and (6). LEAs and governors may not as part of their admission policy refuse to admit out-of-borough pupils. Where schools are oversubscribed, admission authorities may, however, give priority to in-borough children in the allocation of places, provided they make their policy clear in the information published under section 8.