How will local authorities ensure every child has a school place under the new admissions rules, and the review of the national curriculum
Choosing the parents
Last week Warwick Mansell reported on concerns that new admissions rules will make it easier for schools to be selective.
The easiest way for a school to improve its position in the performance tables is to "adjust" its admissions. And the pressures are huge, so schools do fall prey to temptation. The interesting thing is that the duty to ensure that every child has a school place remains with the local authority and it is increasingly difficult to see how local authorities can implement this if all the admissions arrangements in an area are independent.
When I was a director of children's services I never had any difficulty finding places for middle-class children, but for children with challenges it was a real issue. If (as the government hopes) all secondary schools become academies, how will local authorities make sure that every child has a school place – even if they have special needs, are from a disorganised home, are young carers, or just generally low achievers?
JohnCFreeman via EducationGuardian.co.uk
• You suggest the education bill abolishes the rights of parents and pupils to complain to the local government ombudsman if they are unhappy with a school's admissions process. This is not the case. We will continue to provide independent investigation of complaints free of charge. We will also continue to have jurisdiction to consider complaints about special educational needs and exclusions. The proposal in the bill is to remove an extension to our jurisdiction which allows us to investigate internal school matters. This was introduced last year on a trial basis in 14 authorities and provides a route for parents and pupils to complain to us if they are not happy with how a school has handled an internal matter such as bullying.
Dr Jane Martin
Acting chair of the Commission for Local Administration, London SW1
Forward-looking review
Estelle Morris is right to question which subjects are relevant to today's young people (Opinion, 22 March). This is precisely what the national curriculum review is about and why it is so important to hear the views of all interested parties by 14 April. It is a forward-looking review, which will be informed by what parents, teachers, employers and others tell us children need to learn to succeed at university and in employment.
We will also consider how the best international education systems work. Previously, England has not engaged in the intensive "system benchmarking" – a process of international comparison which feeds into significant improvement of their education systems. This is a distinctive and progressive feature of the curriculum review.
Tim Oates
Chair of the expert panel leading the review of the national curriculum