Parental or Pupil Choice — Who Really Decides in Urban Schools?

Abstract

We know little about the characteristics of choice and selection in the process of pupil transfer from primary to secondary schools. This paper is based upon a small-scale piece of research undertaken by Alan Thomas and BillDennison of the University of Nerucastle which sought to throw some light on this topic. A questionnaire was administered to children in their final year of primary education in an inner-city school in Northern England and interviews held with a small random sample of parents and eight key teachers. The findings suggest that inter alia we should not underestimate the significance of the role which children play in the making of choices in this area.