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

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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.

Goodness me, where do you stop with that? Is anything justified if you think it will benefit your child, no matter what the detriment that results for another child?

Namechange test

Lots of people are caught. You just don't hear about them, for the most part. They may be caught out before their application goes though, or between the initial allocation and the start of term, or even after term starts. It does happen, and places are withheld and taken away, even in some cases after children have started. It is taken seriously.

Whilst it's probably illegal and def. immoral I really can understand why people do this. Everyone wants the best education for their child - some people just go to extraordinary lengths to ensure they get the school they want.

I didn't do anything illegal, but I made sure I gave my DS the very best possible chance of getting into our first choice school.

Due to an on-going issue with his feet and hospital visits, his nursery had him on their special needs register (think they got a bit of extra funding for him). When I applied for his primary school, I made sure we applied under medical needs and got his nursery to do a letter of support. His issue with his feet didn't massively warrant a specific school, but the school I wanted had no internal or external steps/stairs, which minimised the risk (a small one) of him falling.

It probably was a slight exaggeration on my part, but no lies were told but I would have done what was needed to get him into this particular school.

We are just on the cusp of the catchment area for the senior school I want him to go to and have already started planning a potential appeal and documenting stuff (just incase). I will enlist the help of a specialist solicitor if I have to.

None of what I have done is illegal, but some people may think it's immoral. When it comes to getting what I believe is the right school for my DS, I have no issues with doing everything I possibly can (immoral or not).

Whilst it's probably illegal and def. immoral I really can understand why people do this. Everyone wants the best education for their child - some people just go to extraordinary lengths to ensure they get the school they want.

I don't think it's at all understandable.

I want my child to have the best bike, but I don't just take a bike from another child because of it.

I want my child to have the best scooter, but I don't just take a scooter from another child.

so, why is it ok to take a much more important thing like a school place?

So the more usual scenario is that you live near the school in your £600k+ house, and they live 10 minutes drive away in a much cheaper area, and they can't possibly afford to buy there, so they rent.

London is a different ball of wax.

here, all the houses are expensive and good schools can be scattered all over the place. What you think of as an act of robin hood is in fact people just buying places. it's the people who have time and money to afford a temporary let that can do this.

I am gobsmacked at how little disregard people have for others children. it's sickening actually.

I live in a London Borough.
There are I think 9 primary schools in my town serviced by two train stations on the line. Perhaps 3 square miles (in a non square shape)

One catholic. One CofE. One Free. 6 non denomination.

Only one has a bad reputation, and yes, it sits within a 1950's council estate. The snobbery against this school astounds me. One of my friends lives close by and her son is absolutely thriving.

Only one is truly failing. The Catholic.

Only one has an ofsted Outstanding. But a very large housing estate a few miles away was razed to the ground, affordable housing in small blocks of flats went up all over our town centre and the residents shifted a borough or two eastwards. Guess where these are all now in catchment?
Outstanding or not, you can only take a school at face value for the year group and cohort that affects your child. Reputations are just that.

If you don't report, perhaps Karma will have her way.

The neurosis is bonkers

Oh no, we all need to be more neurotic, we all need to be more demanding about our dc education.

We meekly accept the ridiculous situation whereby the standard of education our children receive all too often relies on where we can afford to buy or rent property and/or whether we believe in (or pretend we believe in) a god

Yes meekly accept it then sneek around trying to get dc into decent schools and sneak around trying to report them for doing it, both parties should be banging down MPs door demanding all schools in area be excellent.

So did you shop them yet op?

Totally agree with people saying state funded schools should not be able to practice religious discrimination against 4 yo.

Also, in what way is segregations of education by religion a good idea in our current climate of fear of extremism?

We should be integrating like crazy not facilitating indoctrination by setting up each religious faction in its own isolated school....

Slightly off thread, but reinforces the idea that there must be lots of children who live a long way from their school-I think .For the past several days we have gone for a walk , passing as we do so our local (excellent )Junior School , which both DDs attended (DH and I both need to lose weight!), Usually at about 2.45 . Each day there have been several cars parked outside (on the side where there has always been tacit agreement that people stick to) . I assume parents/carers waiting to collect their chidren. But 45 mins before they come out? DH suggested that they probably work locally and it isn't worth driving home and coming back again ? A couple of people obviously eating their lunch . Which is the only explanation I could think of too .
It's the same cars every day (haven't gone so far as to take registrations but one or two of them, and their drivers , are quite noticeable)..

Agree that schools should prioritise local children. I am aware though that we were fortunate enough to be able to afford a house in this school catchment area and that of its 'feeder' nursery(and planned a house move when our DD1 was 2). and the secondary to which the majority went Though we did do without other things-foreign holidays, meals out (yes I know ,very middle class) to do so .It used to annoy me when friends in the same earnings bracket as us told us how lucky we were to be in X catchment . We moved largely because we weren't happy with the reputation of the school DD would otherwise have gone to . What would we have done if we couldnt have afforded it?

Postscript
My in laws actually moved up from London into the very same catchment area a year before we moved . How daft of us not to have just moved in with them for 6 months!

People often park up 45 mins early to get a parking space near the school. Our local CofE is like that with tons of cars fighting for space despite a runty catchment distance. The RC school
Is the same as the parish is quite big and there are also out of parish children - so some maybe over 1 mile away

DD got into a well regarded school outside our catchment area on appeal. I am still asked (she's in yr 11) how she got in, when other, closer children did not. I don't give them the details of our appeal, but simply say we went to appeal and got in. She was taken on as an extra pupil (secondary school, so they can do this), so she didn't make anyone else lose a place. It was hard, but I particularly wanted to try the appeal route after she missed out on our preferred primary school.

Not yet - waiting for a friend in the know to find out whether the LEA is likely to pick it up on their own.

There have been a few scenarios about distance discussed here. We're in London with about 5 primary schools within walking distance so it's all about perceived quality rather than convenience here. The school in question is opposite a large council block flanked by £million+ houses.

BTW totally agree on the faith schools thing. If religion was kept out of education (apart from people being able to observe their practices of course) then it would surely promote tolerance and understanding.

I too am amazed by how many people think it's somehow admirable to show your commitment to education by defrauding another family with your ability to throw away 9k.

And agree with a previous poster in resenting the implication that if you send your child to a local not brilliant school you somehow don't care as much. I have faith in my children, our support and the teachers at our RI school that they will do well. Not everyone can attend the 'best' (or the one perceived to be the best). Does t mean that our children are doomed to illiteracy and educational failure.

BTW totally agree on the faith schools thing. If religion was kept out of education (apart from people being able to observe their practices of course) then it would surely promote tolerance and understanding.

I am really surprised at how little support faith schools seem to have, and how they can keep persisting. Either I am in a little protest bubble and my perception is wrong, or we simply have a society where most people don't want something yet nonetheless it is foisted on them.

From my experience of taking about this faith schools issue in RL, many people aren't bothered about whether their child goes to a religious school or not, the problem is the religious element to admissions process.

I don't consider myself a Christian, nor did many if the other parents at my dcs CofE school, but this school doesn't use faith as admissions criteria. I'd be happy to let faith schools stay, as they are supported by the church so they they have to stay really, but allocating places based on how many times a parent has been to church should be banned.

I am so pleased all of this is behind me now.

When my two were small, I visited the three closest primary schools and picked the one I got the best vibes from. There were no Ofsted reports in those days, but the HT met me and guided me around the school, talking excitedly about her plans for the future.
There were some very sniffy parents when I told them my choice, apparently it 'simplay was not the best'!
They both thrived. It may not have churned out Oxbridge candidates, but the care, attention and encouragement were second to none.
They then went to the second favourite of two secondary schools, again, chosen by visits.
Both are now graduates with highly professional careers and are happy, nice people.

I guess what I am trying to say is that the highest achieving school is not necessarily the best.

A mile isn't far to walk to school almostapril .Used to do it regularly to nursery -would drive only if it was awful weather.We were in the catchment though (we are much nearer the junior school ) .We are about 3/4 miles from the border of the next LA. I was assuming they came from there! Or the other end of our Borough- about 9 miles .
Saw them again today-even earlier. 2.30. Yes I suspect for some it's so they can park as near as possible to the school gate . Fair enough if you have a disability (or possibly are an elderly grandparent/carer) but the very large lady I see stuffing herself with sweeties would benefit from walking (bitch bitch). If everyone lived locally then they wouldnt need to drive? . Having said that, there is a new 'village' in our borough specifically designed to be a walking community . There is very little public parking (everyone has big drive, 'tis very des)and none near the school . Should be OK ,as even someone on the furthest reaches is in walking distance . Doesn't work .They didn't factor in parents dropping of and going straight on to work /collecting straight from work . I've done it myself . But I was the one driving (too) fast to get there just in time ...

If I'm being totally honest, if it were one of my children and it came down to it, then yes, i'd do anything to get them into a good school. And I may get shot down for saying this but too many parents just don't care enough about which school their children go to, and as long as it's the local most convienient school for THEM and not neccesarily the best for their child, then they're happy. I would judge those type of parents way more than I would those who actually give a damn about their child's education and will do anything to ensure they get into a decent school, including those who are willing to send their children to out of catchment schools that are better.

Postchildren - I have another legitimate reason for being parked up early to add to your list .

For a few months when DD2 was dropping her nap and I was heavily pregnant I sometimes drove up about 45 minutes early and parked with a book. Those were the days when DD2 was desperate for a sleep and I was too knackered to walk (2.5 miles round trip and up quite a steep hill on the way there). So I'd drive her around for five minutes until she dropped off and then park. If I drove and arrived normal time (parking 3 minutes walk around the corner, if that) she would fall asleep on the way there and then have a total meltdown when she had to be woken to go into the playground.

I was amazed the number of people already there though. The same cars still all park at 2.30 when I happen to be passing. Including one childminder who has other charges climbing around the seats waiting.

If people have the time to get to school early and park then what's the problem? You will always get people who drive to school, I'm one of them. We live around 2.3 miles from my children's primary school and I refuse to walk such a distance with a three year old in tow, and if I want to arrive at school an hour early and sit and read a book whilst mum toddler naps then I damn well will, and I don't care what anyone thinks or care about congestion in and around the school.

Liv- but sitting there so the toddler can nap. Sitting there for 45 minute to avoid parking a 3 minute walk away is an odd investment of time.

Sorry, that should say "sitting there so the toddler can nap makes sense"