Schools can use ‘fair banding’ admission tests to ensure their intake reflects the ‘ability’ range of children nationally, or that of applicants, or local children. However, a study by TES and FFT Datalab has found that, on average, fair-banding schools have more students with high prior attainment – and fewer with low prior attainment – than the nearest neighbouring school that does not use banding. The same pattern is found when comparing fair-banding schools to the average for all other schools in the districts where banding is used.

CF Chair, Dr Nuala Burgess, said, “This research raises concerns that some schools have found ways to manipulate the fair banding system in order to admit pupils likely to boost academic results. Put simply, these schools employ selection by the backdoor.”

“The government needs to take a firmer stand on school admissions. The new Schools Bill  is frustratingly vague as it says local authorities and schools are expected to cooperate, but it doesn’t say how this will work. We need  legislation  to ensure school admissions policies are being thoroughly scrutinised and applied fairly and honestly. CF know from our own research that a number of schools are using questionable admissions practices. An urgent review of our current school admissions system is needed. Unfair admission practices mean many disadvantaged and SEND pupils are at risk of being rejected by local schools.”

The TES study found that across all schools using fair banding, 17.6 per cent of students had low prior attainment, compared with 21.9 per cent across non-fair-banding schools in those districts.And 24.8 per cent of students in fair-banding schools had high prior attainment – compared with 18.9 per cent across all non-fair-banding schools in these areas.

Dave Thomson, the chief statistician for FFT Education Datalab, said, “The analysis shows that fair-banding schools seem to have more academically able cohorts than neighbouring schools that do not use fair banding.”

Dr Nuala Burgess said, “Fair banding tests are pitched as an admission method to achieve a balanced intake of students across various attainment levels. In some circumstances, this can admit a wider social mix than simply admitting pupils who live in the streets around a school.  However, if schools are using these tests to select an unusual percentage of high attaining pupils this suggests a problem, and possibly an unfair attempt to manipulate pupil intake. Sadly some schools do have a desire to educate high attaining pupils to boost their results.
Some schools are not carrying out fair banding tests in the spirit of their design, but instead use them to select an advantaged and high attaining intake.
“If schools run poorly advertised tests on a Saturday, with offputting application forms, and then select bands from within the mostly middle class children sitting the test, it’s no surprise they end up with a skewed intake that is less diverse than it should be. It is high time the government ensured school admissions are proactively monitored to avoid this kind of selection by the backdoor.”