This article explores how parents choose childcare settings for their pre-school children within a context of complex policy on eligibility for free provision and a developing market. Using data from interviews with 17 mainly middle-class parents in England, we explore in detail how parents go about choosing a childcare setting and the different…

This study examines parental choice preferences following the introduction of the Free Schools policy in England. It reports on two phases of data collection: first, the analysis of factors that Free School and non-Free School parents reported as important in informing their choices; and, second, findings from semi-structured interviews with…

In this paper we examine different aspects of the inclusion debate, including how it has been shaped by the political context in England over the past 30 years. We then give consideration to the key argument that has dominated the inclusion agenda over the last decade: should effective inclusion be considered only as placement in mainstream school…

School choice has gained considerable popularity in recent decades as governments struggle to improve quality and reduce the cost of education by increasing competition among schools and decreasing the level of bureaucracy (Chubb & Moe, 1990). The trend towards reorganization of public service allocation for education has been a feature of…

This paper examines regulating discourses "spoken" within the complex multi-sector network of educational policy and provision that has grown from a recent introduction of choice advisers in England. Choice advice documentation from across the network is examined and four discursive themes are identified: equity; parental responsibility;…

Examines the school choice process from both pupils' and parents' points of view. Reveals that students' choice of a school designed for technical instruction was not necessarily based on the greater technological emphasis offered. Found little connection between school quality and parental school choice and no connection between school quality…

Publication of school rankings based on raw data for various performance indicators was found to influence school choice and mobility strategies for elite and middle-class parents in England and France. Rather than promoting school improvement, publication led to unintended school coping strategies, such as marketing activities, student exclusion…

Investigates two links in the quasi-market for English secondary schools: (1) the link between attracting students to a school and financial rewards; and (2) the link between changes in student roll and the educational performance and social background of the students already at the school. Addresses the findings in detail. (CMK)

The creation of a quasi-market in England and Wales schooling has changed pupil, parent, and school behavior in a way that has reinforced the dominance of traditional, academic schooling. A study summarized results of research into this quasi-market behavior, with particular emphasis upon the upper secondary age group. The study found that while…