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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

252 replies

eminthebigsmoke · 20/04/2015 12:15

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.

OP posts:
tiggytape · 20/04/2015 17:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Feminine · 20/04/2015 17:11

It doesn't matter if the family in question have a house that "can't sell" "trapped in negative equity" so can't 'properly' move to that area.

Blah blah.

Still breaking the rules.

It takes special kind of sneaky to do what the family in question have done.

No school is worth deceiving for.

PtolemysNeedle · 20/04/2015 17:14

Another child had a right to that place according to the transparent, publicly published rules.

I get that, I really do, and usually, I'm all for people sticking to rules. As I alluded to in an earlier post, I wish people would care more than they do about the rules that say you can't take your child out of school during term time to go on holiday.

But this rule has been created to favour those who often live in more expensive areas, and when rules are crested by local government that appear to favour some children over others, then if disagree with it enough that I can't criticise those who disregard it. Especially when there are other adults who have far more responsibility for the situation than a parent who is just trying to get their child a good education.

We shouldn't be focussing on a small minority of parents who break this one discriminatory rule, we should be focussing on the reasons why parent who care about education are so keen to avoid certain schools. Fix that, and this problem won't exist.

quietbatperson · 20/04/2015 17:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom · 20/04/2015 17:26

Abso-fucking-lutely I would report.

If it is within the rules, they'll be fine. If it isn't, they've stolen a place from another child.

laughingcow13 · 20/04/2015 17:35

Do any of you know what 'fraud' means ?
The parents told no lies.They were living in the rental on the day they filled the form in and on allocations day. Who can prove their intentions?

Most importantly it is NOTHING to do with you!

and , did I understand this correctly- someone said taking holidays in term time is immoral?? wtf??

DarlingDaffodil · 20/04/2015 17:37

I wonder how many people answering here have done this???

ilovesooty · 20/04/2015 17:37

If someone is proved to have broken the rules and lied and cheated their way to a place I'd like to see them prosecuted, not just have their child's place withdrawn.
I wonder how many parents would cheat and dissemble if they stood to gain a criminal record.

tiggytape · 20/04/2015 17:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Gileswithachainsaw · 20/04/2015 17:41

I doubt anyone has darling

I certainly obtained my school places honestly and fairly. I'd never do it any other way.

but someone on here was falsely reported. so shows there can often be more to it than someone thinks.

I also don't think. It's that uncommon tbh I remember loads of for sale signs going up near me after allocations day

JaniceJoplin · 20/04/2015 17:42

I've reported 4 famines for doing what I thought was fraud. Nothing happened to any of them so I don't know if I was wrong in my assumptions or the council didn't bother or did bother and felt they were not in the wrong.

I feel that their needs to be a more fairer system for schools. I'd do away with faith based admissions criteria for a start.

BastardGoDarkly · 20/04/2015 17:42

It's probably just me, but I wouldn't report her.

laughingcow13 · 20/04/2015 17:54

Oh and 'waiting list' not 'wait list'.You have been watching too much trashy TV . This is not America!!

confusedNC · 20/04/2015 17:57

I wouldn't report either unless you 100% knew the parents circumstances and were directly affected.

My xhtb ended our marriage last summer. Locked me out of family home. I've had to rent, as it happens nearby but a different catchment. Ds hasn't hot first choice which is non catchment but would've been further away had we stayed in family home. So who knows, maybe someone will make assumptions about me and add to the already huge stress of divorce, single parenting, new job, and wondering how long it will take to get a court to decide on my life cos ex is being totally obstructive.

HamishBamish · 20/04/2015 18:05

Personally, I think what she did was immoral. I'm surprised how many people on here think it was ok. I often hear people bash parents who pay for their children to be privately educated, but in the same breath say it's ok to use money to buy in a more favourable catchment or even rent as second property like this woman has done. It's social engineering whichever way you look at it. I particularly abhor those who pretend to 'find' their faith just as their children approach school age.

Lying through your teeth seems ok to many, whilst paying honestly and up front is the crime of the century!

confusedNC · 20/04/2015 18:08

*has got not hasn't hot! Autocorrect

straighttothepoint · 20/04/2015 18:15

Report! Report! Report!

Hallamoo · 20/04/2015 18:25

Something similar happened near me. Someone was renting very close to the school, was their permanant address, no other address at the time of application. Their older DD was already at the school. They moved to a nearby village after the places had been allocated, and were still planning to send both DD's to the original school from the new address.

Someone shopped them, and the LA withdrew the place.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 20/04/2015 18:35

That seems less clearcut to me, Hallamoo, than the one in the OP.

Many years ago a family we knew were renting a place near our primary school. As secondary transfer approached, they looked at all the local schools and decided they didn't like the look of any they could get into from that address. They moved to another rental place next door to a much better comprehensive school about three miles away, but on a direct bus route back to the primary school. The boy spent most of year 6 commuting back by bus. He then got into the secondary school and the family fairly soon afterwards moved back to the original area to buy a house. So when he started secondary school he went back to his 3-mile commute, but the other way round. All perfectly legit, but not in the spirit of the admissions code, surely?

Feminine · 20/04/2015 18:43

It is fraud
Mainly as the rental was only taken on in order to gain a place at the school.
op explained that the family have now moved back to their original home.

Are there posters here, that honesty think that rolls?

toots111 · 20/04/2015 18:50

Where I live all the schools are good or outstanding, the problem is that there aren't enough places. If someone rented just to get in a school and that meant I missed out and had to send my daughter 2 miles away rather than them I would be furious. I have lived here for years and am an active part of the community, not sure what else I can do if people are cheating the system.

confusedNC · 20/04/2015 18:52

It sounds like it is probably fraud, it's just not something I'd report unless I knew beyond doubt because I can see how it is possible to be on other side of fence with genuine situation.

It is possible I may get my house back yet if ex can't buy me out. Timing might look suss to outside. I'd rather not have gone through losing home though.

WhenSheWasBadSheWasHorrid · 20/04/2015 19:05

I would report.

Bit baffled that so many think this is ok. I wonder how many posters have done something similar

weddingbelle1005 · 20/04/2015 19:11

She IS taking another childs place! My daughter missed out on our first choice school by one place so in my situation I would certainly be reporting!!!!

FryOneFatManic · 20/04/2015 19:13

My local authority has a specific rule about offers and addresses:

Offers of places are also withdrawn if they were based on an address and the parent’s address changes before the child is admitted. For example, if a child was offered a catchment area place and the family moves out-of-catchment before admission takes place, the offer of the place may be withdrawn.

If the OP's LA has this rule then the person she's discussing has broken a clear rule. It's address when they start, not on offer day, that is the real decider.