"I've picked up something about schools not being allowed to interview prospective pupils, but that's about it. What bothers me far more is that there seem to have been improvements at primary level but not nearly enough at secondary schools. From what I've seen, schools serve bright children well but don't cater for those who fall outside mainstream ability. It also seems crazy that state schools offer so little sport."
Anthony Capstick, father of four aged 15, 12, ten and five. The eldest is at private school; the others attend state schools in Clitheroe, Lancashire

"I've seen the odd bit in the press, but I think the government should produce a newsletter for parents to explain what's planned. We get it for everything else, so why not for education? My six-year-old is at a very good primary school, but I worry about what happens after that."
Sarah Cook, full-time mother-of-two from Worthing, West Sussex

"I don't know about the bill, but I'm very pleased with the education my daughter is getting. I didn't have anything like the opportunities she has. But more should be done to stop truanting and bad language. The effing and blinding when kids come out of school is terrible."
James Tustain, retired, looks after his 13-year-old daughter, the youngest of his three children, in Banbury, Oxfordshire

"The reforms won't make the slightest difference. It's tweaking the system

around the edges. Most parents just want their children to go to the school down the road and get a good education. The school my children go to is truly comprehensive. There aren't many other options round here, so everyone mixes with everyone else. Some of the children are off the wall, but my daughters just get on with it and are doing well."
Jane Brookes, a physiotherapist from Cumbria, has three children aged 18, 15 and 12

"I would like to see schools picking up on difficulties like dyslexia earlier. If primary schools got the funding to help dyslexic children at an early age it would be easier for them when they start secondary school. A lot of the children who are troublemakers are the ones who have had problems."
Diane Worrall, mother-of-three from Banbury, Oxfordshire

"I've heard politicians talk about the bill on the Today programme, but I can't understand how it will make a difference. I don't think parents want choice. They just want a really good school down the road. Speaking as an employer, we need young people with a much higher level of education and skills. I don't see how this bill is going to help achieve that."
Adam Fletcher, a managing director from Maidstone, Kent, has two children, aged 14 and 11, at private schools/I>