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Original poster

Labour reviewing school admission criteria

711 replies

JustAlice · 09/08/2025 10:16

"Sir Keir Starmer plans to update the Equality Act to give public authorities a new duty to consider a person’s “socio-economic background”.
The changes could mean that schools are forced to give pupils from a working-class background priority when applying for school places, according to Conservative research, instead of judging applications based on how far away from a school someone lives."

Last year BBC had articles on how Brighton and Hove Labour council implemented similar policy, and now substancial % of school places goes to children on FSM instead of childre living closer to the school, making average % of FSM in them closer to the council average.
Protests didn't lead to anything.

If Starmer is going to rollout this model for the whole country, I'm torn, because though I'm against class division and think that current model encourages it

  1. I strongly disagree that the families on less than minimal wage income are the only working people in the country. Maybe call them deprived to be honest.
  2. In Brighton, faith schools are still not impacted.

YABU - we should be happy about this
YANBU - not a good idea

OP posts:
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9
BIossomtoes · 09/08/2025 18:52

This is the opening of the article. The second paragraph is fact. The rest is Tory conjecture.

Middle-class children risk being shut out of the best schools as part of a Labour policy to impose equality on Britain, the Tories have claimed.

Sir Keir Starmer plans to update the Equality Act to give public authorities a new duty to consider a person’s “socio-economic background”.

The changes could mean that schools are forced to give pupils from a working-class background priority when applying for school places, according to Conservative research, instead of judging applications based on how far away from a school someone lives.

The Tories said the new duty could also mean that working-class people leapfrog the middle classes on NHS waiting lists.

Jamesblonde2 · 09/08/2025 18:52

Let’s face it, it’s just to increase tax via VAT by more parents saying bollocks to this messing about, I’ll just go private and skip the ball ache.

DrPrunesqualer · 09/08/2025 18:50

Jamesblonde2 · 09/08/2025 18:46

Assuming people are right that the good schools are due to parents and pupils. So due to this plan, the shit schools become good? And good schools become shit? Then do Labour try to swap it round again later on? So the newly shit school ends up becoming good and vice versa? Haha. Mind blown.

🤣🤣🤣

Dog Chasing GIF by Maryanne Chisholm - MCArtist
noblegiraffe · 09/08/2025 18:49

Another76543 · 09/08/2025 18:43

Do we know it isn’t true? It wouldn’t be the first time that things have been leaked to the media.

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The article itself says that it is based on “Conservative research”, so no, I don’t think it is a Labour leak.

Jamesblonde2 · 09/08/2025 18:46

Assuming people are right that the good schools are due to parents and pupils. So due to this plan, the shit schools become good? And good schools become shit? Then do Labour try to swap it round again later on? So the newly shit school ends up becoming good and vice versa? Haha. Mind blown.

Another76543 · 09/08/2025 18:43

noblegiraffe · 09/08/2025 17:53

Is your thread title true?

Show quote history

Do we know it isn’t true? It wouldn’t be the first time that things have been leaked to the media.

BIossomtoes · 09/08/2025 18:38

noblegiraffe · 09/08/2025 17:53

Is your thread title true?

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No, it’s not. It’s a travesty of a travesty.

noblegiraffe · 09/08/2025 17:53

JustAlice · 09/08/2025 16:47

I saw the article yesterday and wondered if MN will be pro or against such policy? So this thread was created to find the answer.

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Is your thread title true?

EasternStandard · 09/08/2025 17:39

JustAlice · 09/08/2025 17:15

In 14 years Tories did nothing to reduce the benefits bill . They imported millions of people instead to do the work locals can't be arsed to do anymore. So people on PIP for "anxiety", motability Land Rovers, lack of social housing, skyrocketing house prices and rents - all on them.

Poor Sir Kier can't even spend left and right - probably for the first time in Labour history. That's how bad the things are after 14 years of Tories.

Edited
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Tbf he and Reeves haven’t helped their tax, borrow and spend with their recent £50bn drop.

TheStateofRoads · 09/08/2025 17:37

All schools should be good.

How can we ensure that?

Whatshesaid96 · 09/08/2025 17:34

So are Labour going to pay for the transport for those children on FSM to come from further afield? Surely it would make better sense to target the areas in which these schools are with high number of children on FSM? These are the areas that would benefit from free adult education courses, a reformed version of sure start and extra funding for pre natal care.

I think the money this would cost to implement is actually directed in the wrong way personally.

Original poster
JustAlice · 09/08/2025 17:26

But of you allow in more low qualified people (like care workers) with the family and allow your chums to pay them below minimal wage, it's not helping either when the whole family becomes eligible for social housing and UC in 5 years?

So Labour are clueless but Tories even worse.

OP posts:
realtimeintrusion · 09/08/2025 17:25

Floraflower3 · 09/08/2025 16:56

Surely better than lots of children being driven to school? I didn’t mean buses for people within walking distance.

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Yes a better option than all driving but still
not as ideal as all children being able to walk to their nearest school.

BIossomtoes · 09/08/2025 17:19

Lack of social housing long predates the last iteration of the Tories. That was Thatcher’s doing.

TheNightingalesStarling · 09/08/2025 17:19

My children go to the "best" secondary in the district. Its catchment area (defined on paper, not just nearest school) is actually quite large... 7 miles in one direction, although less than a mile in another. It covers a mixture of villages, but the FSM number is well below average for the district.

Theoretically they could take some children from the city centre ..but then which village of villages do they remove from catchment? Are they going to have to provide a bus, or use the public bus which takes an hour?

Original poster
JustAlice · 09/08/2025 17:15

Andrew19997 · 09/08/2025 17:00

The only things Labour incentivise is claiming benefits (being state dependent), working for state run entities (being state dependent), going to shit state schools (being state dependent), aka fighting to get to the bottom. Whilst the few dictate and get rich at the top. Ie. Communism or socialism if you prefer a more palatable word. It never works but people try.

Show quote history

In 14 years Tories did nothing to reduce the benefits bill . They imported millions of people instead to do the work locals can't be arsed to do anymore. So people on PIP for "anxiety", motability Land Rovers, lack of social housing, skyrocketing house prices and rents - all on them.

Poor Sir Kier can't even spend left and right - probably for the first time in Labour history. That's how bad the things are after 14 years of Tories.

OP posts:
Bushmillsbabe · 09/08/2025 17:10

Jan168 · 09/08/2025 16:31

I don't understand how selective state funded faith schools are still allowed, I'd much rather they got rid of them.

I don't think this would be likely to have a huge impact personally. The people on lower incomes round here that i know wouldn't be taking their child miles out of their way to go to a better school anyway, for a whole host of reasons.

Because they save the government money. Faith schools get approx 10-15% less funding per pupil than state schools, and the faith group makes up the rest. So it would cost money to close them

Andrew19997 · 09/08/2025 17:00

Hiddenhouse · 09/08/2025 16:54

The incentive to earn well, save, buy a house and protect the next generation seems to have evaporated with this government

The only things Labour incentivise is claiming benefits (being state dependent), working for state run entities (being state dependent), going to shit state schools (being state dependent), aka fighting to get to the bottom. Whilst the few dictate and get rich at the top. Ie. Communism or socialism if you prefer a more palatable word. It never works but people try.

Floraflower3 · 09/08/2025 16:56

realtimeintrusion · 09/08/2025 16:55

It’s not good for the environment

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Surely better than lots of children being driven to school? I didn’t mean buses for people within walking distance.

realtimeintrusion · 09/08/2025 16:55

Floraflower3 · 09/08/2025 16:53

I’m unsure about this but for everyone going on about transport why can’t we go to school buses? My primary school had one for a further away village and there was a bus escort. My secondary school was very large and took people from all over. There were multiple school buses that came from the villages, usually making a couple of stops. I think parents paid for a bus pass, you were eligible to a council bus pass or you paid per trip. It worked really well and you just made sure you got to the bus stop on time.

It’s not good for the environment

DorothyWainwright · 09/08/2025 16:54

DrPrunesqualer · 09/08/2025 11:54

Exactly
Everyone tries to do the best for their kids and this would be the best solution
Intelligent people will act accordingly

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Benefits don't work like that. You can't scale back your hours or leave a job to claim them. Trust me, I wanted to do it as a lone parent when I had toddlers and the system won't let you.
I think if you're made redundant it works, but not resignation.

Hiddenhouse · 09/08/2025 16:54

The incentive to earn well, save, buy a house and protect the next generation seems to have evaporated with this government

Floraflower3 · 09/08/2025 16:53

I’m unsure about this but for everyone going on about transport why can’t we go to school buses? My primary school had one for a further away village and there was a bus escort. My secondary school was very large and took people from all over. There were multiple school buses that came from the villages, usually making a couple of stops. I think parents paid for a bus pass, you were eligible to a council bus pass or you paid per trip. It worked really well and you just made sure you got to the bus stop on time.

EasternStandard · 09/08/2025 16:53

JustAlice · 09/08/2025 16:47

I saw the article yesterday and wondered if MN will be pro or against such policy? So this thread was created to find the answer.

Show quote history

Yes agree with pp, interesting to see the yanbu vote.

DrPrunesqualer · 09/08/2025 16:52

JustAlice · 09/08/2025 16:47

I saw the article yesterday and wondered if MN will be pro or against such policy? So this thread was created to find the answer.

Show quote history

I’ve found it an interesting discussion.
73% YANBU is not surprising for MNet I think