A leading secondary school accused of discriminating against poor students has won a landmark legal battle in the High Court over the right to set its own admissions policy. In the wake of the decision, the school's headmaster, Sir Pritpal Singh, mounted a furious attack at authorities involved, labelling them 'an absolute disgrace' and accusing the Schools Adjudicator of doing 'an appalling job.'
The school, Drayton Manor High in Hanwell, west London, had been found by the Adjudicator, Andrew Baxter, to have unfairly rejected children who lived in a nearby area, which contains a large number of poor families. Drayton Manor, which has been praised by the Government for its educational excellence and is heavily oversubscribed, recommended that applicants in the area should instead go to Brentside High, which is nearer and undersubscribed.
