AIBU to consider reporting a possibly false school catchment address?

Children in care or adopted from local authority care can get priority for school places even when out of catchment. If you don’t know someone’s entire history, it’s always possible this could be a reason they get a place.

I’d report it. Nothing to lose, and if the placement is legitimate and justified, then the family of the child won’t be inconvenienced by it, as they’ll never know.

It baffles me how many people on here think it’s OK to steal a school place from a child in catchment, by lying about their address.

They won't need weeks of stress gathering evidence. If they've applied from where they live it will be quick and easy to prove that

So if you report them does this mean the child looses his/her place at the school?

But it’s quite frankly none of OP’s business? She doesn’t know what’s going on in that child’s life and it doesn’t impact her life in any way.

@ThankYouNigel I think you’re missing the point. If there is a reason this child got their place, then OP’s report will be immediately disregarded. No harm done. But if it’s just someone cheating the system, at the expense of a more legitimate case, then they should be called out on it.

Once as a school governor I was going through the reception applications. I came across an address that happened to be on my road, a few doors down. I thought ‘what kids live there?!’, and eventually realised they’d put down their grandparents’ address. We discussed it and whether to challenge, and eventually just let it go as we were slightly undersubscribed so it made no practical difference.

Move on. You have no solid evidence of it.

My daughter is one of them going to a school out of area because others have lied to get a place at the local school. It is well k own for parents to do anything to get a place at our local as it’s a very good school. Her only option is a school 7 miles away. I have reported a mother who got her child in the local school claiming he lives with grandparents when he doesn’t. She’s gone as far as moving his child benefit over to them. It’s wrong.

Surely the school will investigate though. If it's legit then it won't matter anyway.

I have answered a couple of times why false reporting can have a terrible impact on families.

As I have said if records aren't updated it will spark an investigation. The family have weeks of stress gathering evidence, knowing someone in the community has reported them but they dont know who. How would you like not knowing who reported you and it could be someone you say good morning to every day on the playground? I know I would feel unsettled, feel like I'm being punished and not wanted and that people are gossiping about me. I wouldn't be able to trust anyone or be wary if asking friends.
I dont think that's worth doing to someone just because you have 'feelings' and not evidence.

He presumably isn't there yet.

Is it really though? It’s her property. You are free to work as hard as her to buy another yourself for your child. She’s a very strategic and ambitious mother, someone I’d speed dial in a crisis for sure. Known her for 30 years, loyal as they come 🥰

Just mind your own business, you have no idea how or why he got into that school, you have no hard evidence just “feelings”. It really makes no difference to your own life.

Keep out. Nothing to do with you

*Yes I think I would report.?
You haven't got any evidence.
It's just 'feelings'
If there was solid evidence, then yes, go for it. But to ring up and say I have a feeling this is happening is malicious.

Surely the school will investigate though. If it's legit then it won't matter anyway.

This is fraud. How can you admire it? It’s awful and takes away legitimate places from others.

Most schools ask for proof of address: I had to provide a child benefit letter. Leave them to it.

Report this yes. If all comes out the child has a rightful place then all is well. If not a child in the local area could have been given that place. My daughter has to travel out of area for school in September after a lost appeal. Some of her friends are out of area and were given a place at our local school. The local school is classed as a really good school with top results. It’s well known for parents to do anything to get their child in. I know a school mum gave grandmas address to get him in because she told me. I can’t prove he doesn’t live there but I have reported her.

Could it be something like their parent is a police officer and they applied under social reasons as didn't want their child going to school in their area. Eg. Kids could find out their parent was arrested by them.
If they've got the place legitimately they've nothing to worry about if you report.

Yes I think I would report.

To other posters putting on sob stories: if they haven't lied then there will be an investigation and they will pass. Not an issue.

I understand what people are saying about it being a crap school near them and parents desperate etc. However, another kid who lives much nearer the good school has lost their place and will now have to go to the shit school. If the parents were desperate they should have moved to live in the catchment.

Rules are there for a reason. I understand the reasons for lying but the system is only fair if people play by the rules.

The school deserve to know the facts.

Who says the child will even know? My children will always know I put them first, not the opinions of judgmental strangers who are nothing to do with our family. I care more about my child’s future.

Not necessarily- the LA will check the criteria, if they have got in on priority criteria, this will be clear and the LA will do nothing else. The only way the LA will notify the family is if they believe the address is not where the family actually live.

That is not the only way.
Sometimes records aren't always updated quickly., eg council tax.This happened about 6 years i think it was ( just before covid).to a family I worked with through children's services. Without going into the ins and outs the family had done nothing wrong but they had a full investigation because someone thought they didn't belong there.
In an ideal world the system would have shown there was no issue, the school would have been aware of the family history etc but sometimes thi gs go wrong.

The family felt ( quite rightly imp) targeted. There was reasons the family had moved to that location that people ( parents of other children) wasn't and shouldn't be privy to.

Exactly.
If the LA already know that there are legitimate reasons for the child having the place they will ignore the report. If they agree it's suspicious they'll investigate. If they find nothing untoward nothing will happen. The OP doesn't have the power to get the child thrown out on a whim!
But you only have to read threads on here on offer days to know how upsetting it is for families who don't get their preferred school. Sometimes it's their own fault because they have made unrealistic applications, sometimes it is just bad luck in very oversubscribed places, but a small proportion will be down to fraud and that is preventable. I wonder how the "I'm alright Jack" posters would feel if it was their child who was having to attend a school miles away from all the other kids in their neighbourhood and they later discovered that other parents suspected fraud but had ignored it? If we all only acted on wrong doing when it directly affected us we'd have anarchy.
I've been arrested as a suspect in a serious crime in the past - something a great deal worse than school place fraud - but here I am, not in jail at all, because guess what, it wasn't me. Total mistaken identity. It was a deeply unpleasant and frightening experience, I cannot deny that, but I would rather be wrongly suspected and investigated than live in a world where everyone looks the other way when they see or suspect harm occuring to others. And there are victims of school admissions fraud.

Yes, and it's a good lesson for their children as well. Lie and cheat to get what you want and to hell with everyone else.