Lotteries For Everything!

Today the parents of Brighton and Hove look forward to winning their little darlings not money but a SCHOOL PLACE!

Yes if you live in Coombe Road (Brighton) or Portland Road (Hove) you used be able to pick the best schools in the authority but not any more; now you've got to play the lottery and looking at Google Earth these parts of Brighton and Hove are not the richest of areas. I doubt the majority of parents here can afford to send their kidlets to private schools like I hear some parents are doing. One local prep school is opening up a second year seven class in September for the very first time - Oh I wonder why?

The Schools which are in question here are:
The Dorothy Stringer School, Brighton
Varndean High School, Brighton
The above schools are next door to each other, one has the better reputation in recent years and so parents want their kids to go there.

Hove Park School, Hove

Blatchington Mill School, Hove

The above two schools are fairly close to each other and one has a better reputation and results than the other.

Falmer High School, Brighton
Patcham High School, Brighton
Longhill School, Brighton
Newman School, Hove - Catholic therefore under its own administration rules
Portslade Community College, Portslade

There are three senior schools which are over-subscribed, Newman (the Catholic school and nothing to do with the authority rules) Blatchington Mill and Dorothy Stringer. The council has apparently set up a central area for those schools and if you do not live near that place then you cannot go there. The point is that the central point is not the school but for instance in Blatchingon Mill's case the Sussex Cricket Ground which is a couple of miles away. This will mean people who live near to those schools will not be able to go there! So much for the people leaving nearest getting their local school? I haven't worked out where the Dorothy Stringer/Varndean point is yet but I do not need to, my point is made.

The government is looking at Brighton and Hove as a landmark and I hope to God they do not follow their foolish ways. This is a disaster for education.

PS. The local council is tory led and will NOT change its policy even though it claimed a year ago it would review this policy every year. The Conservative Party are stating nationally that they will NOT have a lottery system. What is going on????? Read local Argus link below
http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/generalnews/display.var.2090097.0.hundreds_of_pupils_lose_schools_lottery.php