Friend of a friend renting for school places...

[DoodleNoo]

Ive recently found out that a friend of a friend is renting her own house out and renting another house to live at, well within the very tight catchment of her preferred secondary school, in another part of our London Borough.

I don't know all the details and to be fair I do know that the family has been toying with the idea of moving away for a long time, so I could be generous and assume that they are ultimately planning to buy in the area where the preferred school is. But it still seems unfair that they are jumping the queue to this sought after school.

When I see her in the mornings, dropping her children at primary school near to their old /actual home), I feel so repulsed that I can't bring myself to speak to her.

Am I being unreasonable? I think I feel it all the more acutely as my own DD is applying to secondary school this year and we have been honest and realistic with our choices, even though there is a good chance that we might not particularly like what we end up with.

"I'd love to see everyone being so sanguine about it if it was skewing the schools admissions system in their area."

I live in just such an area. However, what I would like to see is a system of random allocation within a catchment area. This would address the polarisation of school populations and halt the increasingly small intake as rich parents buy houses next to 'good' schools. I think it would also have the effect of raising standards in all schools.

What the borough- not the schools, they have no power to do anything- cannot do is to revoke a school place without evidence that that place was obtained fraudulently. Moving from the area six months after a place is allocated is not fraud. There are families in rented, temporary and emergency accommodation who would be unfairly penalised by such a system.

What's this concept of " jumping a queue?" What queue? The one where you have to buy the house and do have a valid place?

I think your being totally unreasonable.

I'm so perplexed at your use of the word 'repulsed' that little else is registering with me tbh. Repulsed? Seriously? As someone much much wiser than you said upthread - repulsion is for rapists, murderers, child abusers and any number of other vile beings.
If she's working the system or if she's not you need to get your head around it being none of your freaking business. That's because it is none of your freaking business.

Mumsnet is a funny place. People generally think its ok to play the system and move into the catchment of a good school, making the schools they reject even worse because theres not a good mix of children fron different backgrounds. But, if you make the choice to send your child to a private school, then that is considered a very bad thing to do, for exactly those reasons. Nothing like double standards is there.

OP's post makes a lot more sense if you replace the word 'repulsed' with 'jealous'

Is it repulsive to go to church more often to get your dc into the good C of E school?
Or repulsive to get a tutor to help dc study for the 11 plus to get in the grammar?
Or repulsive to put the school with the outstanding Ofsted report higher on your prefernce form than the failing one (even if it's further)?
Or to send your dc to a private school?
Or to consider catchment areas before buying a permanent home?

All legal. All perfectly normal.

Really, when there is a system where one school is perceived as better than another, parents will always do what they can to get their own dcs into the better one. It's human nature.

Give her a break.

I don't actually care a shit if people use private schools. I think a lot of people don't actually.

YABU, Mind your own business.

so somebody has moved to be within a catchment I dont see anything wrong in that It isn't as if she has suddenly started attending church so her child can get into the good school we dont have all this catchment hooha in Scotland it would do my nut in,

YABU, mind your own business.

They probably don't in rl pickled, but the mumsnet reality on private school certainly proclaims to give a shit.

Agree Ryledup- but regulating how and when people move house is a completely unworkable way of dealing with the problem.

I did this (and eventually bought in catchment.)
Good for her on trying to give her DCs the best opportunities she can!

I do know of people who have done this solely to get a place at the school of their choice - a man my DH works with did it, took a 12 month lease on a house, rented their own house out for 12 months, then as soon as the school place was confirmed moved straight back to their own house. Their younger child got in above other children still living in catchment on the sibling rule.

But given OP stated that the person had talked a long time about moving, there's nothing to say that's what they've actually done.

We moved away from our old town and because it was a bit of a gamble and we moved a long way away we decided not to put all our eggs in one basket and rented our old house out and rented where we are now, so that we had a safety net if it did all go tits up. It's all been fine, but we still haven't got round to selling our old house/buying here. Nothing dodgy about it

yep, how far in advance could you say that someone has to be in a house before they could apply for a school in that area and not the area before? We moved into our house when I was pregnant with DS, however, friends have moved with 2 and 3year olds in order to be in the house in time. Others who were renting before have been quite clear they have moved rentals in order to be closer to the schools they want. It's annoying that I do'nt have that flexibilty, but I also understand why you wouldn't pay the inflated rental prices of close to an outstanding primary school for more years than you need to at preschool age.

" My own feeling is that if you're happy to live in an area, you should be happy to send your children to school with the local population...."

Well no, because the local population doesnt necessarily have anything to do with how good a school is.

YABU. She hasn't done anything wrong. You are taking offence because you seem to think that she is essentially suggesting she's better than 'you' because of her choice of school. In reality I doubt she has taken 'you' into consideration at all.

I live in a lovely area with a lovely community, but I may choose to move if the school my sons are/will be going to does not up its game in the next few years. Academically that is. Nothing to do with the locality. If that means renting another house in another area whilst renting ours out, then I will do so.

In the same vein, if I choose to start attending church ( and we do go to many church-run activites already because whilst I don't have faith I do think the church has many ideals that benefit my kids) I will do so, if it means getting my children into a better secondary school. I don't actually care if this is hypocritial. This is my childrens education we're talking about.

they are doing their best for their children.
they have taken steps to live in the catchment area.
they couldn't/didn't want to buy, so they rent.

they are right.
you are wrong.

get over it.

Mumsnet is a funny place.
you are not wrong.

"so somebody has moved to be within a catchment I dont see anything wrong in that It isn't as if she has suddenly started attending church so her child can get into the good school "

Disagree - given we have schools based on faith (aka mainly ethnic background) and people able to afford to buy properties in great catchment areas it makes it a system where the right background helps your kid. I'm saying to the renters - go out an rent places right in the middle of the catchment areas and send your kids to church and whatever as you need to be able to get something out of this bonkers system.

I guess the thing is that this woman has narked us by effectively saying "the local schools that you all plan to send your kids to are not good enough for my boy".

Well, ok, that sense of personal slight is your cross to bear. But the reason you've got so much stick here is that you clearly perceive it as somehow less "above board" to rent somewhere than buy.

Suppose this family didn't own a house at all? Suppose they'd let their old rental lapse and moved into this new one to get into a school, and suppose a couple of years later they moved back to the original area again, into another rental (or even if it chanced to be available, the same one? Would you think that was gaming the system? I doubt it. So what's the difference between that and what they've done?

One of the advantages of renting is that it gives you flexibility on this kind of stuff. It also has disadvantages, but if you can live with those you can reap the benefit. If you're interested, try it yourself.

Why can't someone who can afford it have two houses? Not breaking laws is she?

It's ur jealousy. Don't be so pompous. Repulsed is where u lost me.... Mildly irritating perhaps! But repulsed?! Bit ott.

YABU her financial setup has nothing do to do with you, maybe she isn't selling/buying due to the market? Maybe renting is cheaper whilst her mortgage is being paid off by the tenant, who knows?! But most importantly what has it got to do with you?

i cant see a problem if shes moved to said new house. if she was renting just for the post code and not living there, pretending they live at grand parents etc etc then id think fair enough.
But basically shes moved, cant see the problem. Might also be for other reasons and the school just sealed the deal

If your so angry op - why dont you adress the schools admissions problem - and lack of spaces and lack of equality in schools ie councils and government - rather than attack someone who is simply trying to to maybe do the best for thier children and or - move to an area where people like you arnt!

You and your friends who agree with you - all write to youR MP about it - lobby him/;her about it - and get to the heart of the issue.

I too couldnt care less if friends send children private, or too a state school they see as suprioer etc... in thier area or my area or where, I am very happy with my DD's school and secure in our school why on earth would I care where anyone else sent child too...!!!!!!!!