Miriam (Institute of Education, University of London, UK) David & Jane Ribbens 
Mother »s Intuition? (1994) 
Choosing Secondary Schools

Published in 1994, Mother’s Intuition? examines the process of choosing secondary schools in two inner London boroughs. The research is based upon detailed interviews with parents as well as questionnaires filled in by pupils themselves. The authors address several important dimensions in the choosing process which had not been investigated by previous research. The book particularly focusses on the main question arising from the interviews; who does the choosing – mother, father or the child? Other areas discussed are the changing nature of families and the role different members in lone parent families play, as well as the different decisions made between families with girls and boys, and those from different racial and ethnic groups.