Online school admissions could worsen digital divide

Online school admissions systems will simply reinforce the digital divide if issues such as security and the lack of personal contact are not addressed.

A survey of 862 parents commissioned by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's eAdmissions National Project found that the more well-off parents are the most likely to make online applications.

Every local education authority is expected to provide online forms for school admissions by September 2006, with a target take-up of 10 per cent of parents in the first year.

A slight majority of parents surveyed - 47 per cent of the total - said they would apply online, compared to 40 per cent who said they were unlikely to. Among parents with home access to the internet the balance was more positive with 51 per cent against 39 per cent.

But the report warned there is "clear evidence of the 'digital divide' in society with those most likely to use online applications drawn from the higher social groups, in work, married, in the south, with good home internet access already using a number of online services".

And it warned: "All else being equal, the increased availability of online application forms will simply reinforce this divide, attracting more of the same groups that already engage with online services."

The easiest way to hit targets would be to reach out to those already using online applications, but the report said doing so "will only exacerbate the divide between those that use and those that don't use online services".

To broaden the reach of online applications it will be necessary to tackle perceived drawbacks to online services such as security and the lack of personal contact, the report said.