David Cameron wants school place lottery

Parents could be forced to enter lotteries to win places for their children at new schools under a Tory government.

David Cameron is proposing to create state-funded, independent schools to offer more choice. The education charity spearheading the plan is considering allocating places by lottery. The New Schools Network could also allow heads to interview prospective parents. The lotteries have caused concern among parents in areas where they have been already introduced.

But Rachel Wolf, of the network, said admissions lotteries in the US had been "fair and popular".