It has been revealed that on the 1st March nearly 34% of pupils in Birmingham failed to get into their first choice of school with a further 5% not receiving any of their six choices. These are almost exactly the same figures for London, the most densely populated city in the country. Of the 14,000 applicants in Birmingham this year, 9,300 (66.5%) managed to get their first choice, down 1.4% from last year.

It is an odd scenario to look at, on the one hand these children are still receiving an education but on the other it reveals a frustrating and laborious situation for the parents wanting to get their children into the right schools. Furthermore, what now happens to the 5% who did not receive any offers from their six choices? Are there the alternative educational or vocational routes for them to take? Or are they being abandoned for a life of social and personal deprivation?

Admittedly, not everyone can ever get into their first choice schools; that’s life. But what this can tell us is that there needs to be a radical overhaul and reform of our entire education system, right from the primary schools to the universities. Preparation for pupils and students alike should be there from the start, with all the potential routes for them to take depending on their preferences and capabilities.

Labour promised us all ‘Education, education, education’. Well, where is it?