Choice as Rule, Exception and Coincidence: Parents' Understandings of Catchment Areas in Berlin

Abstract

This paper examines the interplay between parents' interpretations of the laws surrounding primary school enrolment and their formation of strategies to ensure enrolment at their desired schools in an inner-city district in Berlin, Germany. It is based primarily on data collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews. The paper argues that parents interpret the laws surrounding the role of catchment areas in different ways and are able to justify their actions based on these interpretations. Finally, it examines the institutional side of school allocation, arguing first that although headteachers officially do not have the power to decide whether applications are accepted or not, they often cast the deciding vote and, secondly, that the system is kept intentionally non-transparent, to maintain flexibility.