It is rubbish, pie in the sky, a pipe dream, to suppose that we can achieve a fair system for allocating children to schools, with or without the prosecution of 'cheating' parents – not at least, one that is universally accepted as fair
Even a lottery is not fair, in that it may only increase the number of people unhappy with their allocation. And we still have to solve the problem of who is eligible to enter any given lottery – it will have to have its post code element, unless we are contemplating a Camelot style completely blind allocation which could send children from New Mills to Newquay
Nor is it just a question of shortage of good (or even good enough) schools. Those in a position to exercise the choice are just as likely to have strong views about which of Winchester, Westminster or Wellington is right for Tarquin
Sometimes it is worth turning the problem around, to see if that may provide a way of doing things. So instead of asking parents to list the schools they want, how about asking them to name the 3 schools that they would refuse to let their child attend?
The results would at least provide something new for the media, politicians, bloggers & people who ring up radio stations & the NUT to talk about
(The cartoon was published in the Times July 4 2009, p11 – sorry I cannot detect a signature to give credit to)
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