It would be nice to have a choice. All senior boys in Windsor go to Windsor Boy's School. All girls go to Windsor Girl's school. No point in "applying" or "appealing". That's all there is. The only co-ed school, The Princess Margaret Royal Free School was closed down so the co-ed option isn't there. SEN children are supposed to cope in these schools. For the majority of SEN children, 1,000 plus other pupils is too much to cope with. They need small schools, a lot of 1 to 1 teaching, and places where they can "time out" when everything gets too much for them. No choice for them either. David Cameron made a big song and dance about there being no special needs schools for his son, though he did find one in the end. Welcome to our world David. There are no SEN schools in Windsor, just "resources" at normal schools, which are totally unsuitable for children on the Autistic Spectrum.

Beryl, Windsor, England

When I started secondary school I walked to and from the school in a big group of girls as we all lived near each other and went to the same school. We were safer in a group because we were aware paedophiles existed even when I was young. If young boys and girls are making their way separately to all different schools, have the parents a right to challenge the decisions based on the safety problems of the children? I do wish these government quangoes and advisers would consider if their proposals will aid evil people before they produce their reports.

Joy Hodgson, Rawcliffe Goole, East Yorkshire

A lottery system is not unfair, in fact it is fairer because it takes geography out of the equation. There is no reason why within each priority area a lottery system should not work effectively. What is unfair is a system which treats village children, who are clearly going to be further away from local schools, as second class citizens. The current system is largely based on discrimination by geography. In Hertfordshire the education authority closed many village secondary schools in the 80's on the misguided view that the population was decling. Now every year all village children who aren't following siblings literally have to argue their case in front of a panel of 'experts' at appeal. Many are successful but almost all of the children know that they will be split up from their friends and are still unlikely to go to their nearest school.

judy shardlow, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire

My son selected a school less than 1/2 a mile from where we live in Herts as his 1st choice. He was not offered a place her, nor was he offered a place at his 2nd or 3rd choice schools. Instead he has been offered a place at a school that is not even within the Local Authority Area in which we live. Added to this, I have discovered that at least 5 children who go to his current primary school have been offered a place at the school which was my son's 1st choice, despite the fact that they listed it as their 2nd choice, live further away from it than we do, do not have a sibling there, and do not have special needs... Fair selection criteria ... ? I think not!

Sean Hurley, Rickmansworth, Herts

Brighton & Hove Council have made a huge mistake in intoducing this so called 'lottery' scheme for admissions.

We need more schools NOW, to accomodate all the new developments in the area that will increase the school age population.

The only way, we as parents, can force a re-think from the council, is Parent Power. Mass protest, and boycot the inappopriate offers made to parents.
As we are a large part of the population of Brighton and Hove, the council will have no alternative than to make changes for the better.
We voted for this council, and we can just as easily vote them out !
PARENT POWER.

Paul Rose, Brighton & Hove, UK

The lottery system is ridiculous because it would mean that a child may be unable to attend a school on their doorstep and instead would have to be shipped across their town or city to attend another school! How exactly does this help with
1) childhood obesity (children no longer able to walk to school)
2) global warming (increased transport usage)
3) failing schools (it just spreads around the problem of disruptive children fro the current failing schools to the good ones)

Ever heard of joined up politics?

Andrew Brown, derby, UK

A lottery is the preferred socialist mechanism for everything as the ultimate piece of bureaucracy. The government has made hospital admissions a lottery, in effect, and would like to do the same with schools. At university level, someone hoping to go to Oxford does not mind a place at Cambridge but would not want the University of Bolton. The same is true of schools. The truth is there are now so very few state schools that even attempt to give a decent education that parents are desperate.

George, Bolton, UK

bring in education vouchers - its the only way

Mehtab, new southgate/london,

Until schools are able to provide an education that is appropriate to the needs, aptitudes and interests of each pupil, there can never be any real choice. Since they can never achieve this, schools are not the solution.
Schools' performances are judged against mainly academic criteria of 5 'good' GCSEs. These measurements cannot possibly represent the entire breadth of possible educational experience and the criteria are thus quite specious. They measure what can be conveniently measured to produce statistics that prove that the government is good and that we should continue to vote for them.
It is not the choice of school that is important, it is the choice of education. 'Education in this country will never function effectively until pupils, at least at secondary level, can choose their areas of study and do not spend every day wastefully being forced to learn much of what they do not want to know.' (A. J. Marsden letter to TES).
For a real solution visit www.wotnoschool.com

John Harrison, Rye, E. Sussex

Its al abit messy,so the d.n.a data base the government wants cant come soon enough and all the decision about school place can be made at birth by the government,

michael joseph heavey, cahersiveen>adams towns, madness