Chief executive of the Children's Society Bob Reitemeier said the lengths parents were prepared to go to clearly indicated there were huge variations in school standards. "But for many parents, the costly exercise of moving house to get their child into a good school is simply not an option. "The current system is in danger of embedding inequality by making a child's social class and economic circumstances the key influencer in their educational success." Poorer children tend to not to have good schools close to their homes, research has suggested. Some 44% of children eligible for free school meals have a good school nearby compared to 61% of their peers, according to government research.
A Department for Children, Schools and Families spokesman said it was already giving parents more choice by increasing the number of good schools. "More maintained schools than ever before have more than 70% of pupils getting five A*-C passes or more, trebling from 248 in 1997 to 768 this year."
