A HISTORIC Blackburn school is proposing to change its admissions policy so that siblings no longer get preferential treatment.

Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School (QEGS) has launched a consultation into the proposals which aim to address “unfairness”.

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In a letter to parents Simon Corns, headteacher of the West Park Road school, acknowledged the plans may cause “distress”, but said an analysis of their admissions pattern “reveals unambiguously that at some levels of the school you simply cannot get into the school if you do not have a sibling on the roll here”.

Mount Carmel RC High School in Accrington is also proposing changes to its admissions policy so that it will no longer be aware if parents put it as a first, second or third choice.

Mr Corns said: “It is a simple matter. When we developed the admissions policy in the first place we were conscious of the fact we had been a family school and wanted to continue to promote that and promote convenience for parents.

“The unforeseen consequence of that is we have now reached a stage where in reception if you were not a sibling you could not get in.

“In an attempt to be kind and fair to one group we have militated against fairness in another group. The child does not stand a chance of getting into the school at reception.”

Head of Mount Carmel Xavier Bowers said in a letter to parents it will be using an “equal preference model” when considering admission which means all applications will be considered equally against the admissions policy and the school will not be aware whether the school is a first, second or third preference.

The admissions criteria is based on religion, with the first responsibility to serve the Roman Catholic community.