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AIBU?

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Original poster

To move out of rented house in catchment a month after DS starts school?

149 replies

Strawbsy · 08/08/2013 20:29

Hello,

My title sounds terrible and I expect I'm in for a flaming.

We moved into a rented house last month in the catchment of a very popular school that we wanted DS to go to. The council called today and offered him a place for September. We're couldn't be happier that a place came up so quickly.

BUT, we also just found a perfect flat to buy. It's large with a garden but a project that needs lots of work. This makes it within our price range and a bedroom more than we thought we could afford. The flat is further away from the school and almost definitely wouldn't have secured us a place for DS.

The councils do investigate families renting close by to get a place at a good school and I know that for this school they do a home visit to check you live where you say you live. I am worried DS school place will be withdrawn if the council see we moved out a few weeks or a month after he started school. What would you do? I am obviously working on the assumption that we offer on the great flat and it all works out.

OP posts:
MarianneM · 08/08/2013 20:30

YANBU

You do what you have to for your DCs.

Coconutty · 08/08/2013 20:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Poppanicolino · 08/08/2013 20:31

I would explain to the school just what you've said here. Presumably you've got to stay in the rented house for 6 months which would mean being there longer than one month after he's started school?

bringbackopalfruits · 08/08/2013 20:32

Hmm, tricky one. Did you move purely to get into catchment? What were you doing before you moved into your current place? It's not unreasonable to think that you were renting till the right house to buy came up, it now has, but it just so happens that's it's out of catchment. It'd be silly to pass up this opportunity. I think as long as your renting history backs you up you'll be ok. If you HAVE moved purely to get into catchment and they can see that, you might be in trouble.

Mintyy · 08/08/2013 20:33

You have answered your own question - it sounds likely that the school place will be withdrawn.

NotYoMomma · 08/08/2013 20:33

if I could afford it I would do the same.

there are no grammer schools in my area (north east) so it is private or state only.

can't afford private, earn just too much for any help but not enough for fees

state primary round here is fine but secondary? urgh

I have got my dc baptised Catholic as it is a better option

but if I could I would do what you have done in an instant and try to get away with it Wink

good luck

TwoAndTwoEqualsChaos · 08/08/2013 20:36

The small print of the school application form reserves the right to withdraw places if fraudulent claims are made. I don't have an answer, but you will need to tread carefully.

Original poster
Strawbsy · 08/08/2013 20:36

We have only just moved into rented place, been here little over a month.

We rented to see if we liked the area. We have a flat about 35 miles away in another town which we'll put on the market immediately if we try to buy the great flat we saw.

We like it here, we want to stay. to afford to buy here we have to sell our home that we moved from in another town.

OP posts:
Original poster
Strawbsy · 08/08/2013 20:38

I wonder how long you have to be at an address to guarantee they won't withdraw a place? We're genuine but I can see how it could look like we're not.

OP posts:
Coconutty · 08/08/2013 20:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

JakeBullet · 08/08/2013 20:40

Did you move there deliberately? Or was it a stop gap while you looked for somewhere to buy in your price range?

If the latter then don't worry about it, chances are that the market being want it is there will be a time lag between making an offer, getting it accepted, sorting out the mortgage etc and it could all still fall through.

So at the moment you are in catchment, you have a place at the school and the future still isn't carved in stone.

School catchments are a nightmare. It's the one time I am grateful for my DS's Statement of SEN as I don't have to worry, if they can meet his needs then he gets a place....even if we are out of catchment.

TwoAndTwoEqualsChaos · 08/08/2013 20:41

I think I'm with Poppanicolino. Honesty might well go a long way here. not that I would advocate dishonesty, even if it would work.

JakeBullet · 08/08/2013 20:42

It isn't set in stone then....lots could happen and it could all fall through. I wouldn't be concerned in that case.

AmazingBouncingFerret · 08/08/2013 20:42

we moved out of the catchment of a popular and hard to get into school about a week after ds being accepted into the reception class! They did the home visit at our new address and were fine with it. We'd been in the catchment area a little longer than you (about three months if I remember right) It wasnt intentional, it was just how things panned out. They certainly didn't ask any questions.

sparkle12mar08 · 08/08/2013 20:43

I think you need to be very, very careful. You might need to stay for up to 12 months, there have been reports of places being withdrawn up to the end of the first year. Try posting on Education or Primary Education for one of the admissions experts to see and advise. Your problem is that although you know you are genuine, there is actually no objective evidence to support that, and in fact I'd venture to say that all the circumstantial evidence supports the opposite. Be very cautious and do not make any hasty decisions.

frogwatcher42 · 08/08/2013 20:43

If you had a flat just 35 miles away and were living there for some time, I think they will assume that you knew what the area was like already and didn't need to move into it for a few months, coincidentally around the time of school applications!! It does sound very suspicious as 35 miles is no distance.

If you had lived 250 miles away and moved into the area I think you would have a better chance of being believed by the education authority.

That's my thoughts.

Floggingmolly · 08/08/2013 20:43

If you've only lived in your current place for one month; where were you living when you were allocated the school place? Weren't they allocated in March / April? Confused

JakeBullet · 08/08/2013 20:44

Thirty five miles is a bit of a distance though, no way would I know what schools were like thirty five miles from here.

Original poster
Strawbsy · 08/08/2013 20:44

We moved here to be in catchment and to test the water before we make the full commitment of selling and buying again. We are looking and have made offers on flats well within catchment. We want to live here not 5 or 10 miles from here. We like the area directly around the school.

OP posts:
TwoAndTwoEqualsChaos · 08/08/2013 20:44

Moving into a rental from another area to get the feel for an area sounds reasonable ....

sparkle12mar08 · 08/08/2013 20:45

She's probably applied as soon as she moved and has received something as movement has occured and offers accepted/refused over the summer. It does perhaps however indicate a not completely oversubscribed school which may work in her favour.

AmazingBouncingFerret · 08/08/2013 20:46

and we also still own the older property thst we moved out of when we moved into catchment! Honestly OP this situation sounds almost identical to mine! Hope everything goes ok. (If you are anything like me you'll end up moving you DC into a nearer school anyway!)

Original poster
Strawbsy · 08/08/2013 20:47

We applied late this is a wait list place.

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 08/08/2013 20:47

Where in the UK are you OP?

Our LA school admissions offices close for the 6 weeks holiday.

I'm not sure they can take the place away just because you've moved. As long as you're living where you claim to be at the time of your DC starting school, that should be good enough.

After that, as long as you can get your child to school on time, it should be none of their business where you move to.

frogwatcher42 · 08/08/2013 20:49

So you did move into the area purposely to get a place at the school. And now you have it, you are more relaxed about where you buy as long as it is commutable to school?

Is that not what the schools are trying to stop as it stops people who have lived slightly further out for many years getting a place?

I may be wrong as I have never had to compete for a school place so know little about it.

I wouldn't know what schools were like 35 miles away, but I would certainly know enough about what areas were nice and what areas to avoid without having to live there. I think that is what the LEA will think.

If you prefer the area directly around the school why not hang on and wait for a place to come up in your preferred area. It would solve all your worries.