Secondary school admissions in London:banding and selection by aptitude and ability

This paper addresses secondary school admissions in London and specifically the different types of selection used. The focus is on three forms of selection: banding, designed to ensure that schools have an academically balanced intake; partial selection on the basis of aptitude or ability; and selection by ability to grammar schools. The paper addresses two main research questions: What is the extent of selection in state funded secondary schools in London? And to what extent have these forms of selection changed? We present a brief historical overview of the school-based education system in England, including the specific London context. We then present an outline of relevant legislative provision before examining selection in London over time. Our findings reveal that banding has decreased over time. Although fewer local authorities use banding than two decades ago, a number of individual schools and academy trusts have adopted this approach, most notably in areas that previous had local authority banding and also in some areas with grammar schools. The proportion of schools adopting partial selection on the basis of ability or aptitude in particular subjects has remained similar over the past decade. The number of grammar schools remains unchanged. More generally, our findings reveal considerable continuity with the use of various forms of testing / assessment at entry to a significant minority of state-funded secondary schools albeit of different types and with different underlying aims: ranging from seeking to achieve an academically balanced intake in the case of banding, to seeking to obtain a high ability intake in the case of grammar schools.