AIBU to want to shop another parent to the LEA for Primary School Admission Fraud

[eminthebigsmoke]

A lady I know in passing has scammed her way to a place at the best local primary by renting next to the school for 6 months. Two days after offer day she is back at her original address near us. AIBU to think that she has cheated someone else's child out of a place and shouldn't be allowed to get away with it?

Has no bearing on what will happen to my DC as we're 20 odd places down the wait list for that school.

All these people talking about 'crap' schools because of the parents attitudes? The wrong type of children?
Mmmm...does not mean school is crap.
My children go to their local primary and all being well to their local secondary. The snobbery against these nurturing, caring schools is immense.
Actually, I hope the snobbery lasts a little bit longer re the secondary as don't want people to wake up and realise it is good and knock my child out of a place!!
So- I think, I may think about reporting...

I would report. What an example to set to one's children - lying and manipulating the system to get them into a school at the expense of a child who lives much nearer. I am also aghast at somebody pretending to be a devout C of E believer to get a child into a C of E school. Sorry, that's just hypocritical, surely? Why would you want your child to go to a religious school if you're an atheist?

I also agree with all those who say that at primary level things would be much better if all children just went to the local school. My children went to a primary school whose Ofsted history went like this:

• First ever Ofsted - mid 90s, a couple of years before they went there - some good points, many areas needing improvement, overall just passed

• Second one - late 90s, both children there - pretty good

• Third one - not long before my son left - OK, but not as good as the one before

• Fourth one - not too long after my son left - shock fail

Throughout that time the school was roughly in the middle of the LEA league table for KS2 SATs. Sometimes it was above the national average, sometimes a bit below.

Did any of this affect how my children did? I'd say no, not at all. People put far too much stock on Ofsted and league tables.

If she's done this she's a liar and a cheat. I'd certainly report her.

cos crap can't possibly mean the teachings bad can it?

or that kids leave miles behind those at other schools. or progression is slow or there's no differentiation or teachers fail to engage the children.

oh no we all just wanna avoid the common kids

To All these people who think what this parent has done is fine:

Would you feel the same way if your child was, legitimately, top of the waiting list for said school?

Would you say, fair enough, parent's got to do what they have to do, I'm happy they've got the place and I'll schlep my child across town to the one they want to avoid?

Ps my children are at a requires improvement school before I'm accused of hypocrisy. Oh and 50% fsm etc etc.

And they're doing v well thanks.

The way to improve all schools isn't too insure that those with the financial and emotional resources to pull this stunt are clustered in the same honeypot schools.

It's a vicious circle. Poor schools do have poor teaching but they also end up with a disproportionate number of children from families who aren't interested in their children's education, which does affect behaviour and therefore teaching...

Nothing to do with children at the schools being "poor", it's that those schools have more than their fair share of children from challenging backgrounds, because most of the more engaged parents (even the poor/common ones) have sent their children elsewhere.

I would like to think that was true Model5.
The school my children attend has over 40% of children on free school meals and is in what is classed a disadvantaged area.
Teaching is good. Ofsted report is good. Still largely avoided by the so called middleclasses for some reason....

Personally, I don't believe that people who do this are 'stealing' places away from another child. All children have equal entitlement to a good school place regardless of where their parents are living, and your friends child deserves a place at the school her parents have chosen for her as much as anyone else.

what an appalling view. You are in fact taking a school place you are not entitled to. that school place belongs to someone else by rights and rules. what you are suggesting should be done can only be done by people with means (renting a place for 6 months). It's someone else's place.

Enough parents don't care about the rules when it comes to term time holidays that they are fairly meaningless when it comes to morals. Plenty of people on here don't hesitate to advise people that they should take term time holidays if they want to, so it would be a bit hypocritical to agree to disregard that rule while wanting to stand by this one.

They aren't remotely the same, and that's pretty easy to see. One is taking something from someone else, one is not.

MY DC went to exactly the primary school you describe Daffodil/thankgoditsover and I agree that it could/should be solved by people going to their local school. I really planned to send Dc to the local secondary but when it came to it, I couldn't do it. The behaviour problems caused by social issues seem to quickly become more pronounced in secondary and there is an even greater % of parents (like me) sending DC out of catchment, so the disparity becomes even more pronounced. Like I said, vicious circle.

My perfect world would be a properly comprehensive situation where every school has it's share of children from all backgrounds, from doctors/lawyers/MPs to unemployed drug addicts but it won't happen because even if it was compulsory to go to your local school there's no way the doctors' Dc would be at the same school as the addicts he treats and he can move (or go private) to make sure they're not

In relation to your first question: none of your business.

It's all of our business. Some child lost a place at that school because of some parent's shenanigans. I am shocked anyone thinks this is ok.

I'd report it. Let the council investigate, and if she has acted fraudulently, then the child she's stolen a place from will get in.

DS1 lost out on a place at our preferred school because it was oversubscribed, and I'd be furious if I found out that he'd lost out because another parent had cheated the system in this way (which is explicitly against the rules from what the OP says).

Incidentally, our preferred school is also our local school, and our closest by far. So whether or not people think it would be better if everyone just went to their local school, it's just not possible for everyone. And this woman's actions may well have prevented another child from getting a place at their nearest school.

Is that not within the rules though?

Just playing devil's advocate. She has paid in order to get that space - which is effectively what parents do who move to the area in order to get into the school.

Hold on... if my local school isn't one of the best and i've no alternative other than to send him there, i.e. i have no resources available to rent somewhere else/move etc for the purpose of getting him into a 'better' school, does that mean I am from a family that isn't interested in his education?

That's a pile of shite! sounds like people who WOULD ride roughshod over rules to get what THEY want; kudos, bragging rights etc to JUSTIFY what they are doing.

She has paid in order to get that space - which is effectively what parents do who move to the area in order to get into the school.

NO, she rented a place for 6m to pretend she moved into the area. she has moved back now to her original address.

A family making a permanent move to the area is not to be compared to someone who has maintained a home out of catchment, and moved back into it once they have what they want.

Model5 I agree with you totally. We too have bailed for secondary, something I feel v uncomfortable about. By secondary the number of parents like us (argh cringe) was vanishingly small and so the social problems greater.

I'd love a properly comprehensive system. Unfortunately where we are faith/musical aptitude/superselective grammars/privates skim off too many at secondary for it to feel like it is one.

No Hissy, that's not what I said at all.

Here there are lots of families who can send their DC out of catchment because it's not far to the next school and they do. This means that the local school is left with a disproportionate number of children from families who aren't interested. Not that all the children there come from such families, but that they have more than their share, which has a knock on affect on everything that goes on in school.

Not bailed yet...
Feel really positive about our secondary [which was labelled one of the worst in the country]. It has had change of leadership and seems massively on the up, passionate and caring about the children, but reputations- good and bad- are hard to shift.
I have parents of my eldest making it clear they think I am nuts considering it as my first choice.
Back next year to let you know how I go!

Err parents of friends of my eldest....

But they might have sacrificed things to afford renting that property.

I'm sure in the ideal world they would have sold their property and moved to the catchment - how do you know their property isn't languishing on the market and they're trapped by circumstance?

Or maybe they can't afford a move as are in negative equity?

If I was a parent at this school I'd leave well alone as you just don't know the whole picture.

Or her and her DH might have been having a rough patch and she may have rented that place for six months for a reason.

Ask the new head where his children go to school daffodil....

There's no doubt at all that an excellent head and excellent teaching make a big difference but I bet his DC go somewhere leafy (with excellent teaching)

It seems very radical.

What was their catchment school? Was it good?

Why does everyone seem to believe that living close to a school makes a place there good and proper? That is the most unfair way of all.

I would personally leave it.

I know she broke the rules but I cannot see what difference it makes to the OP. Reporting just doesn't quite sit right with me for some reason.

The school system is ludicrously unfair virtually everywhere. People are just trying to get their dc a decent education. I could understand the OP reporting if her dc was top of the waiting list and she had personally lost out. But that is not the case here.