Tinkering with system will not end this anguish

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Middle-class parents have long realised that some of the very best state primaries can be as good as a private prep school. They save thousands in fees if their child takes a place in a state primary and moves out of the state sector at age 11 - when many senior state schools don't measure up.

This year there was even more pressure on state primaries places from ex-private school parents. The recession has hit them hard, but there is no way they apply for the local state sink school. They joined the already long queue for a place in the high-flying primaries.

We all know people who flout the rules by using grandparents' addresses to secure a place. And there are the parents inviting the vicar round for tea every week, just to get the church reference needed for the best faith schools.

But tighter controls on admissions are just tinkering at the edges. The whole system is in need of drastic reform. Could lotteries be the only fair way to allocate places? Many parents hate them - not surprisingly. To think your child's education may literally depend on the luck of the draw is a terrifying prospect.

But one thing is certain: something has to be done - and sooner rather than later. It is not fair for parents and children to suffer this annual admissions anguish.