Comprehensive schooling and social inequality in London: past, present, and possible future

This chapter assesses the impact of new forms of schooling in London. It debates whether London education is currently in an unsettled phase which may be an early indication of a future post-competition era for education in England. The chapter opens by outlining the social and political history of comprehensive secondary education in the capital. The chapter goes on to consider recent Select Committee evidence on social and academic segregation in the context of school choice, selection and achievement in London. The tension between the standards/inclusion agenda and tackling disadvantage is explored. The chapter concludes with an examination of trusts, federations and extended schools, followed by an assessment of the impact which new governance arrangements might have on social inequalities among London schools.