Ministers are wrong to expect parents to take a decision on which specialist school their child should attend when the child is only aged 11, according to Graham Lane, leader of the 176 education authorities in England and Wales.

In a report due to be presented to local authorities next month, Lane will argue that the decision on specialist schools should be made when the child is aged 14 as "aptitude tests are not reliable and young people are not clear on their options at the age of 11".

Changes would require a rethink of the government's specialist schools programme, launched by Tony Blair, at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers' annual conference earlier this month.