CoffeeHouse has been running a series of Brownies – statistical tricks which are used to create a misleading image. But this risks overlooking the important contribution of Ed Balls in the field of manipulating government data. His controversial claim that one-in-six schools is breaking the admission code is an absolute classic in the genre.
To arrive at this crucial “one in six” statistic, Balls did his analysis on three local authorities and projected that across England. His key figure was that 96 out of 570 schools in such areas were found to be in violation. But what marks a violation? This is where Balls worked his magic.
Of the 96 schools in “violation”, 50 were guilty of technical offences which would not have resulted in any child missing out on a place. 45 were listed only for “failure to prioritise children in care correctly”.
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