Parents admit turning to church to get their children into good school

Almost a third (30%) of professional parents said they know someone who has used ethically dubious means to get their children into a good school.

According to the Sutton Trust’s Parent Power report, published on Thursday, these include techniques such as buying or renting a second home to use that address, or using the address of a relative.

The most common tactics for getting into a good school cited by parents include attending church services (31%) in order to get into a religious school, and appealing against admissions decisions (29%).

The report draws on a YouGov survey of 1,017 parents of school-age children who were asked how they choose schools, the strategies they undertake to get into those schools, and the extra support they give their children.

Half of the state school parents polled (49%) reported having been asked for an extra financial donation to their school in the last year.

One fifth (20%) of parents from the highest social group said they know someone who has bought or rented a second home in the catchment area of a good school.

This is compared to just 6% of those in the lowest social class.

A total of 16% of all parents said they know someone who has used a relative’s address.

Both of these strategies are potentially fraudulent.

Attending church and contesting decisions were popular among all social groups, potentially due to the lack of…