A social geography of school choice: Educational decision-making and markets in the new age of accountability

This study seeks to understand how families choose secondary schools (and are chosen by schools) in light of new performance reporting requirements, and whether the processes involved in decision-making reflect the consumer practices predicted by the market model. The government's commitment to social inclusion means that knowledge of the downsides for equity of school choice regimes suggested by international research is vital to policy development here. This project will develop a clear understanding of how school choice is operating, particularly for socially disadvantaged and culturally diverse populations, and of how different sources of information shaping decision-making are produced, circulated, and used.