Assumptions are often made about what parents are looking for in the school they select for their children but there is little real evidence to show why parents choose a public or private school.

In July this year the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age newspapers commissioned ACER Principal Research Fellow Dr Adrian Beavis to investigate why parents choose to send their children to private or public schools using data collected in an ACNielsen phone poll.

Data was collected from 609 households using computer assisted telephone interviews. Information was collected on family background and parents' perceptions of the school sectors and what factors most influence their decision in choosing a school.

The study was designed to address three major questions:

1. What are the family background factors that influence selection of a private or public school?
2. What are the economic factors that influence selection of a private or public school?
3. What are the perceptions of schools that parents have that may shape their selection of private or public schools?

The study found a clear link between what parents perceive to be important and the selection of a school sector. For those parents selecting a private school, it is the traditional values and not political persuasion, nor probably socio-economic status that appears to shape this decision. The wearing of a school uniform and the traditions of the school are also important.

For parents with students in a catholic school discipline, the religious values of the school, the traditions of the school and the requirement of wearing a school uniform were considered important criteria when selecting a school.

Selection of a Government school was influenced most by parents' perceptions of the importance of academic and social and cultural security or familiarity of the school. The range of subjects available and the location of the school were also important. School uniform, tradition of the school and religious or moral values of the school were considered less important.

Parents of government school students were also asked if they would move their child to a private school if money were no object. Just over half of parents (54 per cent) answered that would not move their children to a private school even if there were no additional cost. The reasons given by the parents who would not change from a Government school relate to their experience of the quality of education offered by these schools, or a belief in the quality of education that they provide. Other reasons included support of the Government school concept, a dislike of religious aspects of private schools and a view of private schools as elitist.

Conversely, approximately a third of public school parents (34 per cent) said they would change to a private school if the fees were no more than for government schools, suggesting that if private education were more affordable the drift away from government schools would continue. Most of the reasons given by the parents who would change from a Government school relate to the perception that there is better discipline in private schools, better quality of education and superior facilities. There was also some evidence of religious views influencing these opinions with 8.5 per cent of parents mentioning the religious or value systems of the private schools.

In so far as this research was able to pin down reasons for the selection of a private or public school, one factor stood out: the extent to which the school was perceived to embrace traditional values to do with discipline, religious or moral values, the traditions of the school itself, and the requirement that a uniform be worn.

In other findings:

•  Occupational status is associated with the selection of a private or public school, with those having high occupational status more likely to choose a private school compared with those with lower levels of occupational status.

•  There was some evidence that family socio-economic status also influenced the selection of a school with higher socio-economic families more often selecting independent schools.

•  Political preference may be associated with school selection. Labour voters are more likely to select Government schools and Liberal/National party voters are more likely to select independent schools.

The findings from this research were featured in the 'Great Schools Debate' series in the Sydney Morning Herald from 9-13 August. The full report is available on the Sydney Morning Herald website, along with a number of the stories from this series.

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