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Uses personal account excerpts and analysis of policy initiatives to describe how neighbourhood comprehensive schools stop being the default. Discusses competition, anxieties during secondary selection, and the role of VCE result rankings in social justice debates. Links school sector differences and admissions to equity outcomes, highlighting social segregation and patterns of university participation.",{"@graph":69,"@context":123},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/australian-universities-review-university-fodder-understanding-school-choice-and-access-to-university/315960/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/australian-universities-review-university-fodder-understanding-school-choice-and-access-to-university/315960.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Well Done","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-22","2026-09-20",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",12,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"Why does demand for high performing Government schools affect families’ school choice?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"Demand increases because places can be scarce and competition can intensify. This changes how families argue their case for entry and how schools are perceived in the Government sector.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"What role do VCE results play in debates about social justice?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"VCE-based ranking relates strongly to social justice and education discussions. The scores reflect differences between groups without explaining the underlying reasons, such as admission policies or resourcing.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"How does school choice pressure influence equity outcomes between schools?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"As performance indicators drive choice, social segregation can increase between schools. More polarised student composition reduces equity of outcomes between schools.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":125,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":127,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":129,"site_id":62},315960,1789958896,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":132},{"doc_id":129,"user_id":133,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":24,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},5909892210082,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/56001069da27c9f41e8?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1789614185077863061","A U S T R A L I A N U N I V E R S I T I E S ’ R E V I E W  \nUniversity fodder  \nUnderstanding the place of select entry and high performing government schools  \nGeorgina Tsolidis University of Ballarat  \nSchool choice is most commonly considered in the context of private/public schooling and access to university. University entry remains a key element in family decision-making about which school they would like their children to attend. Debates about school choice are most commonly framed in relation to marketisation and the relative popularity of private and public schools. However, the demand for high performing Government schools is likely to increase and in turn have an impact on the means by which families argue their case for entry. Here school choice within the Government sector is explored, most particularly within Victoria, where there have been a number of pertinent policy initiatives.  \nPrologue  \nI was determined to get my daughter in. I went to every Open Day starting in Years 4, 5 and 6. I still go. It took me two years to get her in. Open Day is always crowded with people hanging outside the Hall. I always go early to get a seat. She always understood the expectation that we wanted her to go to Leafy Suburbs College. She had a letter from the principal of her primary school urging her acceptance at Leafy Suburbs College. We advised her to play an instrument other than flute, which is too popular and not as well weighted as other less popular instruments such as the oboe.  \nMother with two daughters at the school. (Tsolidis 2006 p. 42)  \nI made inquiries on behalf of my daughter in 1999. I was told that my child was not eligible since I did not meet the zone requirements. I was told that I live on the wrong side of the road that marks the zone. Two students in the same class as my daughter, who do not live in the zone now attend Leafy Suburbs College. Three students from the same family living in my street attend Leafy Suburbs College.  \nMother of an unsuccessful applicant. (Tsolidis 2006, p. 42)  \n4 University fodder, Georgina Tsolidis  \nThe mechanics of school choice change dramatically when the neighbourhood comprehensive school is no longer the default destination for families. Many parents opt for high-performing Government schools and frenzy can surround such schools because demand for places outstrips supply. Leafy Suburbs College is a high performing Government school in Victoria and the comments made by the parents quoted above, reflect the investment many families make in such schools. If trends in Australia follow those in other countries, the demand for high performing Government schools is likely to increase and in turn have an impact on the  \nmeans by which families argue their case for entry.  \nIn Victoria there is a trend away from comprehensive schooling, a shift to private schools and intense competition for places at high-performing Government schools. This reiterates similar patterns played out nationally and internationally (Sherington and Campbell 2006, Forsey 2007, Forsey et al. 2008) . With growing economic uncertainty there is likely to be increased pressure on high-performing Government schools as families move away from high-cost private schools. There is a possibility that this issue will be played out in Australia, as it has been in England,  \nvol. 51, no. 2, 2009  \nA U S T R A L I A N U N I V E R S I T I E S ’ R E V I E W  \nwhere more than 80,000 appeals were lodged in 2007 because students were allocated to schools which were not their first preference. An industry is emerging in England to support parents in gaining admission for their children to their preferred schools, including through the provision of legal advice and consultations about school choice (Clark 2008) .  \nIt is not surprising that choosing a school can create anxiety for parents, particularly as they select secondary schools (Tsolidis 2006,Aitchenson 2006, Campbell et al. 2009).The link between university educatio","cbCaicvZ1TmHVOTe","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaicvZ1TmHVOTe","pdf",105560,"English","# Prologue\n## Family decision-making and school choice pressures\n## Government school demand and policy context\n## Equity, social justice, and VCE-based rankings\n## University participation and socioeconomic segregation","[{\"question\":\"Why does demand for high performing Government schools affect families’ school choice?\",\"answer\":\"Demand increases because places can be scarce and competition can intensify. This changes how families argue their case for entry and how schools are perceived in the Government sector.\"},{\"question\":\"What role do VCE results play in debates about social justice?\",\"answer\":\"VCE-based ranking relates strongly to social justice and education discussions. The scores reflect differences between groups without explaining the underlying reasons, such as admission policies or resourcing.\"},{\"question\":\"How does school choice pressure influence equity outcomes between schools?\",\"answer\":\"As performance indicators drive choice, social segregation can increase between schools. More polarised student composition reduces equity of outcomes between schools.\"}]","Australian Universities' Review - University Fodder: Understanding School Choice and Access to University | PDF",1789908535,13]