School choice influenced by socio-economic factors

THERE are differences, depending on parents’ socio-economic status, between their involvement in a student’s education and their roles in choosing a second level school.

ESRI research shows those in higher professional occupations are more likely to send their child to a school outside the immediate area. Dissatisfaction with career guidance is almost twice as strong among parents of students at middle-class schools than those with children at working-class schools.

While more than three-quarters of parents hope their child will go to third level, such aspirations are higher among parents who are highly educated and those with children at middle-class schools.