Clarke cuts powers to select children

The freedom for some specialist schools to select pupils was reduced yesterday by the Education Secretary in response to a damning report by an all-party committee on admissions.

The freedom for some specialist schools to select pupils was reduced yesterday by the Education Secretary in response to a damning report by an all-party committee on admissions.

Charles Clarke announced plans to stop new specialist schools from selecting pupils by aptitude in design or information technology.

However, existing design or technology schools and specialists in art, sport and languages may still select up to 10 per cent of pupils by "aptitude".

The education select committee's report, published in July, called for all specialist schools to be stripped of their ability to select pupils, arguing that there was no difference between selection by "aptitude" or academic ability.

It also recommended that schools be forced to comply with the code of conduct on admissions and for the procedures governing grammar schools to be reviewed to make it easier for parents to have them abolished.

Yesterday's announcement was condemned as "disappointing" by Barry Sheerman, chairman of the education committee. Hesaid that the Government had "totally ignored" the committee's main recommendations.