Analysis by Comprehensive Future, the National Secular Society (NSS), and TRAK has revealed that selective admissions remain a major driver of social division in England’s state-funded secondary schools. Schools Week featured our work in a recent article about methods to measure inclusion in schools.

The findings show that grammar schools account for the majority of the 200 least inclusive secondary schools in England, with faith-selective schools also significantly over-represented.

Of the 200 least inclusive schools:

  • 59% (118) are grammar schools

  • 38% (76) are faith schools

Together, these schools demonstrate how different forms of selection — academic, religious, or both — continue to shape school intakes in ways that do not reflect the communities they serve.

What do we mean by “least inclusive”?

The analysis compared the proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) at each school with the proportion of FSM-eligible pupils in the surrounding local area. FSM eligibility is widely used as a measure of socioeconomic disadvantage.

Where a school admits significantly fewer FSM-eligible pupils than would be expected locally, it has a larger FSM gap, indicating a less inclusive intake.

The larger the gap, the less representative the school is of its community.

Selection and social segregation

Grammar schools — which select pupils by academic testing at age 10 or 11 — dominate the list of the least inclusive schools. This reinforces the longstanding evidence that academic selection systematically disadvantages children from lower-income families.

Faith schools are also over-represented. While faith schools make up around 18% of secondary schools, they account for 38% of the least inclusive schools identified in the analysis.

Most (88%) of the faith schools in the top 200 operate faith-based admissions criteria, which can include supplementary forms, proof of religious practice, or sustained attendance at religious services.

In some cases, schools combine religious and academic selection, further narrowing access.

Barriers for disadvantaged families

Selective admissions — whether academic or faith-based — can create barriers that disproportionately affect:

  • children from low-income families

  • children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

  • children in care

  • families without the time, resources, or cultural capital to navigate complex admissions processes

Previous research has also shown that faith-selective schools admit fewer pupils with special educational needs and disabilities and are less accessible to children in care. Other studies have found that both grammar and faith-based secondary schools  are more socially selective. In a recent court case, the Government also acknowledged  that  faith-based admissions are likely to disadvantage certain ethnic groups.

Call for admissions reform and transparency

In a joint letter to Schools Minister Georgia Gould and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, Comprehensive Future, the NSS and TRAK called for reforms to school admissions to ensure that school places are allocated fairly, transparently, and inclusively.

We urged the Government to:

  • collect and publish data on all forms of selective admissions, including academic, faith-based, aptitude, and partial selection

  • make this information publicly available through the Department for Education’s Get Information About Schools service

In 2021, the Department for Education admitted it does not know how many schools operate religious selection in their admissions policies.

Government response

In her response, the Schools Minister stated that while the Government is committed to high standards for all children, it supports the right of faith schools to use faith-based admissions criteria.

This position sits uneasily alongside the Government’s stated commitment to tackling educational disadvantage and improving outcomes for children from low-income backgrounds, those with SEND, and white working-class pupils.

Stephen Evans, Chief Executive of the National Secular Society, said, “The Government has acknowledged that faith-based admissions can disadvantage some children, yet continues to defend them. If we want a fair and cohesive school system, state-funded schools should not be allowed to discriminate in their admissions.”

Dr Nuala Burgess, Chair of Comprehensive Future, said, “It’s disappointing that the Minister’s response does not address the clear evidence we’ve shared. Too many school admission policies still result in less inclusive intakes than the communities these schools serve, and the government should act to put fairness first.”

Putting fairness first

Dr Nuala Burgess continued, “The evidence is clear: selective admissions — particularly academic selection through grammar schools, but also faith-based selection — continue to produce school intakes that are less inclusive than the communities they serve. If we are serious about fairness and opportunity, we must address the structures that sort children into winners and losers before they even reach secondary school.”

Comprehensive Future will continue to campaign for a fully comprehensive education system, where children are not divided by wealth, background, or test results — and where every local school is a school for the whole community.