Wimbledon College will have to change its admissions policy after the Education under-secretaryecretary, Andrew Adonis, ruled that the current procedure is "not in the best interests of local parents and children."

The decision upheld Wandsworth Council's objection to the system and ordered the Jesuit college to change its methods.

The contentious issue was part of the voluntary-aided school's policy, which gave preference to "boys who are baptised and practising Catholics and who have made Wimbledon College their first or second preference, provided that the other school named first or second is also a Catholic school".

Generally schools treat all applications equally, irrespective of where they are put on the list, which led both the council and Lord Adonis to believe the college's admissions system to be fundamentally unfair because students had to place it high on the list of six choices.

The decision, made at the end of August, can be seen as part of a wider Government initiative, announced by Education Secretary Alan Johnson last week, that "no child should be disadvantaged by unfair admissions practice".

Councillor Kathy Tracey, Wandsworth Council's executive member for children and young people's services, said: "Every year there are many Wandsworth parents who would consider applying for a place at Wimbledon College. They will now be able to include the college on their list without fear of losing out because they have not placed it first or second."

In his report, Lord Adonis wrote of the college's policy: "This is not in the best interests of local parents and children and fetters parental preference by not allowing them to express their true order of preference."

Also, as a result of the inquiry, another issue arose which will now be investigated.

The college currently gives preference to boys who are "baptised and practising members of Eastern Orthodox churches" before children in care, despite regulations stipulating the opposite.

The ruling follows another one last month, reported in the Wimbledon Guardian.

The Office of the Schools Adjudicator sided with the college, over Wandsworth Council, regarding its policy of giving preference to pupils from seven feeder schools in the Archdiocese of Southwark and the Deanery of Merton, over other Catholic primary schools, for example in Wandsworth.

Wimbledon College, which will now have to amend its admissions criteria before September 2007, was unavailable for comment.

- What do you think of the change in admissions policy? Email your comments to letters@wimbledonguardian.co.uk.