VERY few things concern the parents of primary school pupils more than the choice of the “big” school their offspring will be attending.

In recent decades house prices have soared and tumbled on the reputation of the local school.

Rightly parents all want the best for their children so any system for admissions has to be robust.

It is to the city council’s credit that it has at least had a look at its admissions policy and come up with proposals for possible change. However it may come to regret it even tried, such is the complexity of the issue.

There is a shortage of secondary school places which it is hoped the new city centre school will alleviate, but while some schools are vastly oversubscribed, others cannot attract enough pupils.

Under the current proposals the council now seeks to divide the city into new catchment areas. This has the effect of splitting some popular schools in central Brighton apart and placing them with those less so.

Some might see a bit of gerrymandering at work here ensuring some undersubscribed schools receive an influx of pupils they might hitherto not have seen.

The truth is the council is caught between a rock and a hard place on this issue.

It has to ensure the continued flight to oversubscribed schools is halted while ensuring the intake at others helps to drive up standards.

All the while it has to assuage some parents’ fears that the school chosen for their children does not leave them disadvantaged.

A tricky juggling act but one it has to perform if we are not to risk a city of lopsided educational opportunity.