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AIBU?

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Is this admission fraud? AIBU to report it?

907 replies

grammarmom · 24/11/2025 16:21

Here's the situation.

We live in a grammar school catchment area that gets smaller every year. When we bought our house several years ago, it was very comfortably within the catchment for an excellent local grammar (very high in the league tables), and oh boy was it reflected in the price. Now we're right on the boundary. Among the thirty or so houses around us, some children got in last year and some didn't, literally a difference of a few yards.

Another child on our street, who is in the same class as my DC, only just passed the 11+ (a few points above the pass threshold). We live on the same road, but they are about 50 yards further from the school gate. Based on last year's distances, my child would likely get a place while theirs wouldn't.

Over the weekend, during a sleepover, the child mentioned that her mother has now rented a house much closer to the school to secure a higher priority for admission. The tenancy was apparently signed one day before the cut-off date, making it "legal" for admission purposes. She still owns their original home, but the story being presented is that relatives who were previously "homeless" will now live there free of charge, and all bills and utilities have been transferred into those relatives' names (I strongly suspect that the mother will in fact pay these bills as those relatives are penniless).

She's even moved the children's belongings to the rented property and makes them spend nights there (they hate it). There's no doubt that once the school place is obtained, they will move right back.

This effectively pushes my child down the priority list and means they may now miss out.

Would this constitute admissions fraud? It feels incredibly unfair that someone with £40k to spare for rent can effectively buy their way into a top grammar school, especially when their child didn't perform particularly well in the exam (despite being tutored for hours every day).

Should I report this? I have no more detail apart from what this child told me (and they obviously weren't too sure about some aspects of it due to age).

OP posts:
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grammarmom · 24/11/2025 17:17

Wickedlittledancer · 24/11/2025 17:15

What does that mean? Your kid can fail and they ger a place?

It means that all kids who scored above the pass threshold do not get any further priority based on their exact score.

OP posts:
bugalugs45 · 24/11/2025 17:17

Nobody’s commented that you live on the same street , so by rights if you have the same postcode do they really drill down into house numbers to see who’s the closest ?
You want the best for your child (ren) , she does too . Basic human nature .
As someone said , she’s played the game better than you , and you’ve got the hump about it .
you also sound like a right bitch to be saying about her child only scraping a pass for 11+ , that’s nothing to do with you , a pass is a pass!

Bananaandmangosmoothie · 24/11/2025 17:16

Daschund1 · 24/11/2025 17:13

You bought your home, depriving another child, otherwise you wouldn't have paid the massive premium. Pot meet kettle...

I don’t think the two are comparable. Buying a home and paying attention to what’s around it (school, train station, countryside etc.) and whether you want to live there is normal behaviour. Moving into a flat for one year to get your child into a particular school and then moving out again isn’t.

grammarmom · 24/11/2025 17:15

Dancingwithweasels · 24/11/2025 17:10

And you know their status won’t be renewed next year how?

I don't want to go into politics here but it is obvious to most people who follow the news.

OP posts:
Wickedlittledancer · 24/11/2025 17:15

grammarmom · 24/11/2025 17:14

No - it is binary.

What does that mean? Your kid can fail and they ger a place?

grammarmom · 24/11/2025 17:14

ledmeup · 24/11/2025 17:10

@grammarmom does your dcs score not matter at all regarding admission?

No - it is binary.

OP posts:
AgnesMcDoo · 24/11/2025 17:14

Sounds like they’ve done their homework to make sure they are legally covered.

I’ve no idea how you’d prove this

probably completely pointless

Helpmefindmysoul · 24/11/2025 17:14

No there’s no point in reporting it. The child is spending nights at the rented property and therefore living at the address at the time of the application. The child’s belongings have also been moved into the property.

It is highly unfair and morally not right however there will be a lot more of this / similar happening given the raid of VAT on private schools. Parents who are able to rent for an admission and then give up the property.

grammarmom · 24/11/2025 17:14

FlipzMilk · 24/11/2025 17:07

Why do you want OPs child to have to deal with a family of psychopaths? I would ditch them.

Oh absolutely. The friendship is over after this.

OP posts:
Daschund1 · 24/11/2025 17:13

You bought your home, depriving another child, otherwise you wouldn't have paid the massive premium. Pot meet kettle...

Bananaandmangosmoothie · 24/11/2025 17:13

Outside9 · 24/11/2025 17:12

Minding your own business is an underrated virtue.

It is her business! If someone has fraudulently taken a school place and her child was next in line it’s very much her business.

Wickedlittledancer · 24/11/2025 17:13

FlipzMilk · 24/11/2025 17:11

The war is likely over, so they can return home and help rebuild it.

Edited

Some of the answers on here are mind boggling. This one takes the biscuit. And wins the internet. Yes all Ukrainians will go home and rebuild, irrelevant of skills or physicality. They will all live on air and sleep in the streets till that’s done.

Catpiece · 24/11/2025 17:13

Plus it’s not about the kid. OP said he barely scraped the 11+ It’s about the parents expectations of the kid which rarely ends well

Outside9 · 24/11/2025 17:12

Minding your own business is an underrated virtue.

FlipzMilk · 24/11/2025 17:11

Dancingwithweasels · 24/11/2025 17:10

And you know their status won’t be renewed next year how?

The war is likely over, so they can return home and help rebuild it.

Dancingwithweasels · 24/11/2025 17:10

grammarmom · 24/11/2025 16:58

They are not on general refugee but on one of special schemes (that is renewed every year).
I know a lot as this is my DC's best friend, and I thought the mum was my friend too.

And you know their status won’t be renewed next year how?

ledmeup · 24/11/2025 17:10

@grammarmom does your dcs score not matter at all regarding admission?

Wickedlittledancer · 24/11/2025 17:09

This woman has family moving into her home for a year. I assume she can evidence this, and she’s moving into a cheap flat for her and her kid for the durations, cheaper as they need less space. The op is just pissed she is now closer to the school.

HeadyLamarr · 24/11/2025 17:09

Wickedlittledancer · 24/11/2025 17:02

Sure but the op is saying it’s done on proximity to the school gate. That was what I was questioning.

It is proximity, but how many spaces they have available to offer based on proximity varies by the other criteria.

Sometimes it might be 60, sometimes it might be 85, for example, so the school list fills up on with children from only 500m away in the former year and 700m away in the latter.

sweeneytoddsrazor · 24/11/2025 17:08

The amount of curtain twitching and reporting that goes on. If Ann Frank was around today she wouldn't even have time to get her diary out before being reported

FlipzMilk · 24/11/2025 17:07

NoTouch · 24/11/2025 17:06

If you believe if is fraud inform the school and if it is they will deal with it.

If it isn't nothing you can do, move on and deal with your own worries about the shrinking catchment.

Don't let grown up issues affect the children's friendship (although it might not last if they end up in different schools anyway).

Why do you want OPs child to have to deal with a family of psychopaths? I would ditch them.

WhamBamThankU · 24/11/2025 17:07

KarmenPQZ · 24/11/2025 16:32

It feels incredibly unfair that someone with £40k to spare for rent can effectively buy their way into a top grammar school

but you effectively did the same by paying over the odds for a house within the catchment that someone with less spare money than you couldn’t afford. So you also bought your way in. Thats the whole problem with the system

This! You’ve literally done what you’re complaining about.

ledmeup · 24/11/2025 17:07

It’s quite unusual where I live for grammar schools to have tiny catchments (London), dc take the tests from all over and the score tends to be the most important thing.

If it’s in the rules what can you do.

Slightyamusedandsilly · 24/11/2025 17:07

grammarmom · 24/11/2025 16:27

It might be legal on paper. But surely morally very questionable, and intentions must count in a matter like this? She already owns a perfectly nice house that she just invited some extended family to stay for a year to create an impression of moving out. There was no need for her to rent anything at all!

Surely it doesn't matter whether she needed to or not?

You bought a house to be in catchment.

She's rented a house to be in catchment.

NoTouch · 24/11/2025 17:06

If you believe if is fraud inform the school and if it is they will deal with it.

If it isn't nothing you can do, move on and deal with your own worries about the shrinking catchment.

Don't let grown up issues affect the children's friendship (although it might not last if they end up in different schools anyway).