EDUCATION Secretary Charles Clarke has finally ruled on how parents will apply for places at the county’s 120-plus secondary schools next year.

But after months of wrangling, his intervention has still not resolved the controversial issue of “conditionality” – the policy adopted by some non-selective schools in Kent in which children who do not enter the 11-plus are given greater priority.

Mr Clarke says that is out of his hands because it is a matter for the independent Schools Adjudicator, whose job it is to rule where there are challenges over the admissions policies of individual schools.

Fifteen of the county’s non-selective schools, including the county’s six Catholic schools, operate the policy.

KCC’s ruling Conservative administration has denounced it for “blackmailing” parents into opting out of the 11-plus and had wanted to end the practice.

The schools say it allows them to offer more places to those who genuinely want a place there.

Making his announcement this week, Mr Clarke said: “Deciding schools’ admissions policies is beyond my powers. Any decision about whether the criteria for some schools should be changed is for Schools Adjudicator, not for me. That decision is due shortly.”

The Secretary of State was called in to decide Kent’s admissions scheme after Kent County Council was unable to secure the agreement of all its schools to its proposals.

Mr Clarke has broadly maintained the scheme he first set out for public consultation in July.

Parents will be able to express preferences for three schools and in most cases, will only have to complete one application form which will be handled by the education authority.

All parents will be told which school their child has been offered a place at on the same day – in Kent’s case, March 4.

Those pupils who do nominate a grammar school will do so before they sit the 11-plus and will only know whether they have passed on that day.

In a statement, KCC said: “We are pleased Charles Clarke has responded to the submissions made by parents and the majority of schools and imposed an equal preference scheme for secondary school admissions.

"However, we are still awaiting a further decision on the issue of conditionality, which will affect Kent’s admissions policy, from the Schools Adjudicator. We remain committed to providing parents with maximum information before they express preferences for schools.”

Martin Frey, vice chairman of governors at Tenterden’s Homewood School, which operates conditionality, said: “We welcome the scheme and regret that Kent County Council wasted so much time pursuing something from the Secretary of State they knew he was unable to give.”

Kent is the first authority in the country to have had admissions arrangements imposed on it under new Government powers.