A member of the House of Lords is seeking to use a government bill to shine a light on the admission policies schools use to select their pupils. Liberal Democrat peer Lorely Burt has tabled an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill that would require the Government to record and publish data on schools’ chosen admission policies. The bill is currently at committee stage, with the amendment scheduled for debate in the Lords in June.

At present, we know remarkably little about the admission policies used by schools. There is no central reporting system, meaning anyone wishing to understand the landscape must manually search each individual school website. What we do know is concerning: banding tests, aptitude assessments, the 11-plus, and complex ‘proof of faith’ requirements often tilt the system in favour of families with the time, resources, and cultural capital to navigate it. Requiring schools to publish their admissions criteria in a clear, accessible format would bring much-needed transparency to practices that frequently entrench inequality.

Comprehensive Future does not oppose faith schools—we campaign for fair admissions. However, there is evidence that some faith schools adopt unfair strategies, such as lengthy supplementary forms or creating a sense of exclusion for non-religious local families. This is why CF is supporting the NSS in backing Baroness Burt’s amendment. Transparent admissions reporting is vital: it can expose unfairness, support better research, and illuminate a system that too often remains hidden from scrutiny.

Currently, the Department for Education holds data on whether a school has a faith designation, but not whether it requires proof of faith through supplementary forms, nor how many places are reserved for children of a specific religion. Some faith schools admit all local children while simply operating a faith ‘ethos.’ Others reserve a significant number of places for those who can provide specific religious evidence. The Sutton Trust has noted that faith schools “are consistently more socially selective than non-religious schools.”

England’s school admissions system is highly complex. We don’t have a clear picture of how many schools select pupils based on aptitude in music, drama, or languages; how many partially selective schools still use the 11-plus; how many employ ‘fair banding’; or how feeder schools and catchment areas shape their intake. The majority of schools act as their own admissions authority, and covert selection is a long-standing concern that CF has regularly highlighted.

Since schools already contribute to the annual school census, why not simply add one more item – an accurate record of the admission policies they use?

CF’s Chair Dr Nuala Burgess said: “We welcome any legislative change that makes school admissions more transparent. It’s astonishing how little is known about the criteria schools use to decide who gets a place. Sadly, it’s a fact that selection tests and faith requirements are far more likely to exclude disadvantaged children and privilege those from more affluent backgrounds. This simple amendment would shine a light on admission practices that undermine fairness and widen inequality.”

Megan Manson, head of campaigns at the NSS, said: “The Government has not even cared to find out how many schools are using religious selection in admissions. This is a serious and unacceptable oversight. How can policymakers truly understand the impact faith-based school selection has on their communities if they don’t even know which schools are doing it? This amendment would provide a fuller picture of barriers to school access – and help parents make the best decisions for their children.”