The last state schools in England that still select pupils by academic performance should be forced to open their doors to children of all abilities to prevent selection by social class, a Government-backed report recommends.

Selection contributes towards the segregation between the rich and poor, does nothing to increase overall attainment and means that the high attainment of some pupils is gained at the expense of others, according to the study.

The Government has come under continuing pressure from its backbenchers and unions since 1997 to scrap selection from the 164 grammar schools and 39 comprehensive schools that select up to 50 per cent of their pupils but it has always insisted that it has no plans to do so. It is a position that is supported by the Tory Party although for different reasons.

Although both parties hoped to have buried the selection debate last year the report suggests that it will not go away while selective state schools remain among the top performers.

The report, by academics at Sheffield Hallam University and the National Centre for Social Research, is published a month before parents receive secondary school offers from their local authorities for September. It suggests phasing out selection, a wider use of lottery systems to allocate places and subsidised transport. Other options include a system of banding, in which a proportion of children are selected from the top, middle and lower ability bands according to the results of the 11-plus exam or a system of equal social representation among those who qualify on the 11-plus exam.

“Fair and just policies on school admissions are an important mark of commitment by governments to equality of opportunity,” the study states.

Faith schools could also be forced to take a quota of children from families with no religious beliefs.

The study criticised the Government’s expansion of specialist secondary schools, which can select up to 10 per cent of their pupils on aptitude for subjects such as sport, music or maths. Selecting pupils in this way was likely to be socially selective because excellence in specialist areas would involve time and money for training.

A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said that it was down to parents, not ministers, to scrap selection through a system of parental ballots. The only ballot so far was when parents voted by two to one against scrapping the 11-plus exam at Ripon Grammar School in North Yorkshire in 2000.

Jim Knight, a Schools Minister, has written to local authorities urging them to comply with tougher rules designed to stop unfair admissions policies.

Michael Gove, the Shadow Schools Secretary, said that the problem with the admissions system was that there were not enough good school places.

“Instead of criticising good schools we need to change the system so that we expand the number of good school places and parents get their kids into the schools they want,” he said.

No options

—The report found that 19 per cent of parents were dissatisfied with the choice of schools

—Nationally 15 per cent of parents did not get their child into their first choice school. In London this rose to 28 per cent

—25 per cent of parents said that their children did not attend their nearest school and 20 per cent had taken account of catchment areas when moving

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