to be annoyed about my friend lying about her address on a school application?

[cavell]

My friend wants her son to go to a very over-subscribed secondary school. They almost certainly live too far away for him to be offered a place in March, but her parents live very close indeed to said school. She plans to put her parents utility bills in her own name so she can claim she has moved in with them (with her son, obviously). Since her parents live almost next-door to the school, she hopes she will get a place for her son off the waiting list. If they do get offered a place, she plans to move house "properly" to live near the school, but if the plan fails then they will stay put and her son will probably end up at a good-but-not-great school.

Half of me says that it is none of my business. The other half is a bit annoyed because I think it is unfair and deceitful and it just isn't something I would ever contemplate doing.

I'm not actually considering "informing" on her, I'm just having a grumble. AIBU?

They automatically do checks against council tax records and the voters' roll, and they would instantly discover that the parents is apparently paying council tax at two different addresses and has apparently "moved house" at a very suspicious time

Imagine you were with parents split up and move in with parents all the time especially if they are abused and have to get out quick

In that situation you explain what is happening to the council and they will probably accept it, particularly if you can prove that you have gone to the police and/or lawyers to protect yourself and your children. But that isn't the situation the OP is talking about.

Oh I see. Oh well looks like my DS won't be getting to school on some days during the week then well certainly not on time anyway.

aha I have just found this part so I am covered

'If your child regularly stays with another parent or relative and therefore has more than one address, the school place will be allocated based on the address at which your child spends the majority of weekday nights."

We have a truly shit school at the end of my road so ds travels to an outstanding oversubscribed school 8 miles away. We didn't have to lie to get him in (long story) but if I needed to do so (and could get away with it), yes I would fake an address .

I cant blame parents for playing the system. Schools should all offer a decent education then parents wouldn't be forced to take such drastic measures.

No chance of changing shifts because I really on my mum for childcare and she wants her weekends free plus no childminder will do nights/weekends. I am a single parent and ex chose to have no contact so I am rather restricted in shift pattern. I'm also very lucky my mum does my childcare as I would have to sell my house otherwise and my mortgage is lower than rent by about £400 round these parts. The knock on effects of that would mean try and get new job, new rental place etc and would mean I would have to go on benefits of some kind which is a bit daft just so I could get my DS to school really. Schools need to be bigger in some areas.

It's not going to be a problem when he is older due to him being able to get himself to school. I personally have not even looked at league tables as such because as far as I am concerned my DS needs to go the nearest school to my mums so even if it was failing in view he would still be going there.

just today I got a letter that my 3 poof of adress are not enough and I need to provide another one

Other parents at the school will check. My DD attends an out of catchment school and we were offered a place at appeal, due to special circumstances. I am ALWAYS being asked how on earth we got in.

tiggytape, depends on the church.

DS' primary school has two feeder church schools.

At one (the one we went to) you need to get a stamp each week and the vicar is a real stickler (if you don't have two years' worth of stamps at least once a month he won't sign the form, even if you are one visit short).

At the other, the vicar simply needs to know your face and he will sign the form. Plenty of mums I know didn't go the requisite number of times but did enough church stuff that the Father liked them (and signed). One mum - a friend of mine -had recently gotten divorced and quite merrily played that card. That church is MUCH more popular than ours (wonder why) and more than a few of the mums I know who had not done their time would definitely have gotten found out at the other church.

And that is feeding into the same school!

If you move from another area (as we did) you nearly always need a letter saying you went to church to make up the 'missing time', but again, the vicar from our old area simply decided he recognized me and signed the form. He even said far more than he needed to (or was true) on his letter of recommendation, to ensure I got a place.

The church system is very patchy!

BTW, I don't blame any of the mums for what they did.

Sorry, I meant has two feeder churches, not church schools