Disgruntled parent accusing us of fraud

[PMP3]

Hi

Thanks for reading this, I’m totally stressed out.

There’s a parent who’s very upset her DC3 didn’t get into the same school as her DC1+2 (out of catchment, where admissions favours in catchment before siblings out of catchment). She’s basically tried to pick holes in everyone else’s applications as she things she’s number 1 priority in the waiting list. She’s targeted and reported, we think, several people challenging various points as fraud such as time spent at each parents not being correctly disclosed and a few for temporary addresses.

We fall under the temporary address group she’s targeting. We moved into our previous rented property in October 2020, having sold our old house (about 10 miles across the city). We had been buying, but the purchase side of our chain collapsed and as we knew we needed to leave our old home to be living in the area we wanted to settle (where I grew up) we still sold and moved into rented accommodation. We immediately started looking to buy again and had an offer accepted on a house closer to the school. We thought this would be exchanged by the cutoff date for applications but it wasn’t, so our old address was used for the school application. We got into the local school and since then have completed and moved in to the new house, closer to the school.

It didn’t cross my mind that we could be seen as doing anything wrong here, circumstances dictated we had to rent and with buying closer to the school I didn’t even consider this as an issue. I have kept the admissions authority up to date with our move already.

Is there any way the place could be withdrawn? We’ve moved closer so would be higher priority to when we originally applied, and surely if our application was reassessed we’d be top of the waiting list even if our place was withdrawn?

Sorry for the wall of text, this has just really stressed me out in an already stressful year.

[Howshouldibehave]

I’m a bit confused by you mentioning two ‘old’ houses, but presuming you had sold the first old house and we’re living in the second rented old house when you applied, I don’t see what you’ve done wrong? Did you get the place based on the rented house?

[CovidCorvid]

I’m slightly confused by what address you used.....was it the house which you’d sold and moved out of? When actually you were living ten miles away?

I guess it depends how strict the school are but I’d have thought that seeing as you’ve now moved close to the school maybe they wouldn’t bother? How close is the house where you now live, is it as close as your old one?

[DonLewis]

Which address do you use for the application?

House 1: old owned home 10 miles away
House 2: rented house
House 3: new house closest to school.

[BlackberrySky]

If you have kept the council up to date with your information then there is no need to worry. You often find that people think the rules miraculously won't apply to them, who then start clutching at straws when they discover that they do. Her child didn't get a place because they are lower down the priority list according to the admissions criteria for your school. Simple as that.

[Keepingitreal14]

Do you mean you applied on the rented house address but have now moved closer? Unless you have lied or not disclosed a house move during the application process your place won’t get withdrawn.

To be fair to the other person, generally the only appeals that get a place are the ones we’re they can prove that the admissions process wasn’t correctly followed (unlikely, unless a genuine computer error or someone outrightly lying) so they are trying everything to get a place at their preferred school. I’ll be honest I’d do the same for my kid but unless you haven’t been honest during the application process it won’t effect you.

[notthemum]

I really don't see any reason why it could or should be. As long as you have kept the LEA informed and kept all correspondence between you as your proof it shouldn't be a problem.
The woman is just bitter because she hasn't got her own way. I'd like to say smile and be friendly as that would be a grown up thing to do. But having a rough morning so would probably tell her to fuck off and mind her own business. Either way don't worry about her. She is doing herself or her child no favours at all and will always be seen as 'that' parent.

[Overdueanamechange]

How does she know your personal information, and how do you know who has been targeted by her?

[conywarp]

@Overdueanamechange

How does she know your personal information, and how do you know who has been targeted by her?

This ^

How would anyone know all this about you

[OneCalamerra]

You haven’t done anything wrong, and the place won’t be withdrawn.

You applied from the only address you had at the time. You have since moved house.

This would only be a problem if you kept your old house, temporarily rented in catchment and then moved straight back out after the application date, as that would suggest you’d used a temporary address just to get in.

But that’s not the case. If anybody mentions it to you just respond that of course the la has always had your correct address and there’s no issue with you moving closer to the school.

[FelicityPike]

Well if her child does get a place, she’s burning her bridges with a lot of the other parents!

[Orangebug]

At the time when you applied, were you living in the address you gave? So you filled in the form correctly but you're worried because it was rented not owned?

[WeAllHaveWings]

Your OP is not clear, did you say your address was your old sold house which you were not living at the time of the application?

And at the time of application you were renting 10 miles away?

[NothingIsWrong]

If you sold your old house and the rented address was the only property you could live in at the time of the application then I don't see that you have done anything wrong. Temporary address fraud is when people rent a house next to a school solely for the purpose of admissions, and then return to their old house after. If you sold it, and can prove that you sold it and your rented address was your only address I can't see that you have anything to worry about.

[Beautiful3]

As long as you used the correct address of where you were actually living, at the time of the application. Then that's fine.

[Lougle]

You don't need to worry, I think. From what I can tell, you're saying that you had a permanent address, then moved into temporary rented accommodation in sufficient distance to secure a place at the school. In between your successful application and national offers day, you moved even closer to the school. This isn't an issue.

The issue would come if you still owned your original property but also rented close to the school. Or, if you rented close to the school, moved further out after close of applications and didn't tell the LA. Neither apply here.

[DamSky]

No, you have done nothing wrong. Yes you've moved after application but it's still in catchment and closer, so no issues there. Don't give it another thought.

[DentonsFringeArnottsWaistcoat]

so our old address was used for the school
Which address? The sold house ten miles away or the rented house? Are all three houses in catchment, just at varying distance, or is only the new house, where you live now, in catchment?

[PatsyJStone]

You did commit fraud by using an address you didn’t live at, your old home that you had sold. So now you are worried that the place will be taken from your child? Well you deserve to feel worried as if you hadn’t completed on your new home you’d definitely not be eligible, and at the time of the application your child probably wouldn’t have got a place if you’d been honest. If several people did this I can see why they are annoyed. The fact that you are now living near does not take away the fact that you were not honest on your application.

[Nith]

If you kept the admissions authority up to date with everything I can't see that you have any problem.

[custardbear]

It's a tough situation because if it's like our school you have to have a valid rental for a year. Personal thought is that if you lived in catchment in your old house, rental and now new house that's not a problem, to be honest even if the rental is out of area you still lived in that catchment and have purchased in catchment now the rental was just temporary
Have I understood your house hopping correctly
This woman sounds like she's hard work!

[gurglebelly]

@WeAllHaveWings

Your OP is not clear, did you say your address was your old sold house which you were not living at the time of the application?

And at the time of application you were renting 10 miles away?

I've interpreted it as original house 10 miles away was sold, they moved into rented (within catchment and address used for application) and have now completed on their new house (closer to the school) but the other parent is targeting the fact they were in temporary rented accommodation during the application

[Nith]

@PatsyJStone

You did commit fraud by using an address you didn’t live at, your old home that you had sold. So now you are worried that the place will be taken from your child? Well you deserve to feel worried as if you hadn’t completed on your new home you’d definitely not be eligible, and at the time of the application your child probably wouldn’t have got a place if you’d been honest. If several people did this I can see why they are annoyed. The fact that you are now living near does not take away the fact that you were not honest on your application.

So far as I can see, OP was completely honest. She used the address she was living at, i.e. the rented house, rather than the address of the house she hoped to move into but which had fallen through. No fraud at all.

[SinkGirl]

@PatsyJStone

You did commit fraud by using an address you didn’t live at, your old home that you had sold. So now you are worried that the place will be taken from your child? Well you deserve to feel worried as if you hadn’t completed on your new home you’d definitely not be eligible, and at the time of the application your child probably wouldn’t have got a place if you’d been honest. If several people did this I can see why they are annoyed. The fact that you are now living near does not take away the fact that you were not honest on your application.

The OP is unclear so you don’t know she did that. And it seems unlikely she did as if she used the old address 10 miles away she wouldn’t have been a priority for being in catchment.

[EggysMom]

How does this disgruntled parent have any information about the successful applications, surely (as the children are not yet in the school) it would all be confidential under the GDPA?

[PMP3]

Wow, this blew up fast!

To clarify, as I obviously didn’t do a great job, we’ve now lived in three houses over the last year.

1. We owned this, sold it in October 2020.
   
2. Rented house from October 2020 to April 2021. This was the address used as our school application.
   
3. Owned house from April 2021.
   

Distance wise, both 2 and 3 are in catchment, with 3 being closer.

I think the issue I’ve worked myself up about is based on this it is clear that the address used on the application obviously is temporary, as we were only there 6 months. There was absolutely no fraudulent intention as it only happened due to a chain break as part of our sale and the house we were trying to buy was very close and where we knew we wanted to live.

In terms of her knowing details, most of the kids who got places go to the school nursery and are quite known to each other. I do agree with her burning bridges, but she’s already in a little clique with parents who have kids in her older children’s classes.

Finally, I have told the LA of our change of address when we moved. I didn’t even consider it being an issue as it is only a couple of streets away and closer to all four of our school choices.