This article focuses on student admissions to charter schools in the United States and to autonomous (foundation and voluntary-aided) secondary schools in England. Analyses of the admissions criteria used by autonomous and nonautonomous secondary schools in England revealed that more autonomous than nonautonomous schools reported using potentially selective criteria. Examination results were higher in autonomous than nonautonomous schools and even higher in those that used potentially selective admissions criteria. Fewer students with special educational needs attended autonomous schools. The similarities between the admissions practices used by certain charter schools and the published admissions criteria used by certain autonomous schools in England are discussed. The evidence is suggestive of both "cream skimming" and "cropping off" educational provision to particular groups of students. It is concluded that the introduction of marketoriented reforms into public school systems requires monitoring and effective regulation to ensure that autonomous schools do not act in their own self-interest.
This article examines reforms to secondary school admissions in England since 1997. In particular, it focuses on the new ‘quasi-regulation’ that has been introduced to make the process of admissions fairer and more transparent. Our analysis reveals that the quasiregulation has had some impact on the process of admissions to secondary schools. In a number of authorities with highly developed secondary school quasi-markets, the policy changes have resulted in some inequitable admissions criteria being removed. However, there are still problems with school admissions and policy recommendations about how the system can be made fairer are presented.
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