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Some parents feel daunted by the admissions system.
Schools should be required to take equal shares of pupils in different ability groups to help poorer students succeed, a children's charity says.
Barnardo's claims its proposal, known as "fair-banding", could reduce social segregation within the schools system.
Fewer pupils from poor homes get into England's top schools - partly because their parents are less able to navigate the admission system, Barnardo's says.
The government plans to direct extra funds to schools taking poor pupils.
This will be by way of a "pupil premium", but no details of how much extra will be available have been given.
It has long been argued that middle-class parents are more able to play the admissions system than those from poorer backgrounds.
The Barnardo's report says "middle-class parents tend to be strongly engaged to get the best result from the admissions process - even to the extent of moving house".
Disadvantaged parents are less likely to exercise their right to choose and more likely to simply opt for their local school, it adds.
This may be because they are daunted by the system or because education is not a priority for them.
This leaves children from poorer homes attending poorer schools, and leads to "educational disadvantage being passed down from one generation to the next", the report says.
The study cites research which shows that children from poorer families are half as likely to get five good GCSE grades as their richer classmates.
Studies have shown that children who are put into a class with high-achieving peers are likely to see their own results improve.
The report adds that there is clear evidence that many schools which control their own admissions, such as faith schools, are more socially selective than those that do not.
And it says action is needed in the light of the planned expansion of such schools in the form of academies and free schools.
These will be outside of local authority control and will manage their own admissions.
The Department for Education points out that academies and free schools, like all schools, will have to follow the admissions code which seeks to ensure the system by which children are admitted is fair.
And it says that academies take a higher proportion of children on free school meals than the national average.
But this is partly because under the Labour government they were set up in areas of extreme social disadvantage.
The coalition government's new-style academies will be selected from England's top-performing schools, rated outstanding by Ofsted.
These will be fast-tracked to academy status, with some opening this September.
Report author Anne Pinney says she is concerned about moves to extend school freedoms, which include giving those schools control over their admissions policies.
Her report calls for schools, especially those in urban areas with high levels of social segregation, to promote fair banding as a fairer basis for admissions.
Under this system, pupils would take a standard test and would then be divided into five ability bands based on the results.
Schools would then admit pupils in equal proportions from each ability band.
The report calls for schools to report back to parents and governors on their intake and to include the percentage of pupils they take who qualify for free school meals.
It also argues that, when schools set their own admissions code, decisions on who to admit should be done by a body independent of the school.
The report also urges independent scrutiny of school admissions practice, perhaps by Ofsted, with official recognition for particularly good practice.
A Department for Education spokesman said: "The attainment gap in English schools is too wide and far too many students from disadvantaged backgrounds are in weaker schools.
"That is why we are implementing a comprehensive programme to make opportunity more equal.
"We are introducing a pupil premium; reforming the admissions system to make it simpler and fairer and getting the best teachers in the most disadvantaged areas."
This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Some parents feel daunted by the admissions system. Schools should be required to take equal shares of pupils in different ability groups to help poorer students succeed, a children's charity says.
Barnardo's claims its proposal, known as "fair-banding", could reduce social segregation within the schools system.
Fewer pupils from poor homes get into England's top schools - partly because their parents are less able to navigate the admission system, Barnardo's says.
The government plans to direct extra funds to schools taking poor pupils.
This will be by way of a "pupil premium", but no details of how much extra will be available have been given.
It has long been argued that middle-class parents are more able to play the admissions system than those from poorer backgrounds.
The Barnardo's report says "middle-class parents tend to be strongly engaged to get the best result from the admissions process - even to the extent of moving house".
Disadvantaged parents are less likely to exercise their right to choose and more likely to simply opt for their local school, it adds.
This may be because they are daunted by the system or because education is not a priority for them.
This leaves children from poorer homes attending poorer schools, and leads to "educational disadvantage being passed down from one generation to the next", the report says.
The study cites research which shows that children from poorer families are half as likely to get five good GCSE grades as their richer classmates.
Studies have shown that children who are put into a class with high-achieving peers are likely to see their own results improve.
The report adds that there is clear evidence that many schools which control their own admissions, such as faith schools, are more socially selective than those that do not.
And it says action is needed in the light of the planned expansion of such schools in the form of academies and free schools.
These will be outside of local authority control and will manage their own admissions.
The Department for Education points out that academies and free schools, like all schools, will have to follow the admissions code which seeks to ensure the system by which children are admitted is fair.
And it says that academies take a higher proportion of children on free school meals than the national average.
But this is partly because under the Labour government they were set up in areas of extreme social disadvantage.
The coalition government's new-style academies will be selected from England's top-performing schools, rated outstanding by Ofsted.
These will be fast-tracked to academy status, with some opening this September.
Report author Anne Pinney says she is concerned about moves to extend school freedoms, which include giving those schools control over their admissions policies.
“Far too many students from disadvantaged backgrounds are in weaker schools. ”
Department for Education spokesman Under this system, pupils would take a standard test and would then be divided into five ability bands based on the results.
Schools would then admit pupils in equal proportions from each ability band.
The report calls for schools to report back to parents and governors on their intake and to include the percentage of pupils they take who qualify for free school meals.
It also argues that, when schools set their own admissions code, decisions on who to admit should be done by a body independent of the school.
The report also urges independent scrutiny of school admissions practice, perhaps by Ofsted, with official recognition for particularly good practice.
A Department for Education spokesman said: "The attainment gap in English schools is too wide and far too many students from disadvantaged backgrounds are in weaker schools.
"That is why we are implementing a comprehensive programme to make opportunity more equal.
"We are introducing a pupil premium; reforming the admissions system to make it simpler and fairer and getting the best teachers in the most disadvantaged areas."
This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.