to consider reporting this family for having lied to the school?

[mnbvcx445566]

Two parents and one child. They live nowhere near the primary state school they applied for and got into. I think - am pretty sure - they used a different address to the one they live at.
School very sought after. Shall I report them?

I've looked carefully into myself and this is what I think:

1- I am not jealous. If I had the chance to do the same I would not. I would like my child to go to a great state school so they are lucky for that but I would not play the way they did.

2- If I report them the child will have problems at school (? don't quite know what happens in those cases). The parents might have a breakdown or something having to face the backlash. Obviously they have brains and made their choice and would only pay the consequences of their actions but - I - would have precipitated the situation by reporting them. Maybe the system is so fucked anyway that what they did is not that big of a deal. Surely the school should have done 1000 checks before awarding places so there might be something I do not know. What I do know is that they live miles from that school, which has a very very small catchment area.

3- I should report them because if my child did not get into that school 'legally' I would despise people who took advantage of a loophole and took 'my child's place'.

WWYD?

I am a long-time poster/user but I have opened a different account as I do not want to be recognised. (If I do not want to face them and tell them that they are committing an illegal/immoral action does it mean that I am in the wrong thinking of calling the school anonymously?)

There are many reasons why children who are not seemingly in 'catchment', can get a place in a particular school. Care provisions or particular extenuating reasons that warrant a place for one. And I know two people out of catchment for our local primary, who live miles away, and got a place. The snide comments came thick & fast, until they realised they had in fact got their places perfectly legally.
Keep your nose out I say!

There must be a number of reasons why theyv done it if so i would stay out of it, plus it would be the child that suffers having settled in a school then maybe been removed

^ that

So tempting, OP. I've been in that situation and known absolutely that friends have bought a place at a school by having the money to pay their non-catchment mortgage whilst paying catchment rent.

It is sickening. My consolation is that my son is thriving at the local school others try to avoid- lovely friends, good teaching and progress, great opportunities. More fool my friends!

You can’t know for sure therefore unless you actually know mind your own business basically. Pretty horrendous to think of doing this if you are just guessing.

Not sure if you're still here OP but I had this concern two years ago, which I posted on here, and in the end I reported it (they took action quickly and the child's place was taken away before term started). The LA thanked us for sharing the information because it had been a big problem for that school.

Yes the state school system isn't great, yes we deserve better, but that doesn't mean that a few people get to abuse it to 'do the best for their child', as if they are the only ones who care enough or were smart enough to think of it.

Good luck!

How's the op meant to actuakky find out though? Seriously?

That's what the team at the council is for ffs

Everyone seems to have missed the point that the distances are short every year

There's no adoption or siblings.

Getting expelled in less than.three weeks on half days must he some kinda record for a 4 yr old

If they are legit apps good then isn't it?

Council will have medical.needs on file parents won't even know abiut the check.

I would do that - damn right. If I thought that giving grandmas address would give my child a better education = better chance in life too right I would.
This is the tip of the iceberg in terms of what parents will do for their child - I do not believe you're not jealous.

I really think all your will do is hurt the child, a child who is innocent in the world of catchment areas and league tables, and that poor kids life will be turned upside down is a real possibility.

I personally couldn't do it, couldn't hurt a child in that way. Ever. I wouldn't want to be responsible for the potential fall out.

If the school have failed to do their checks properly let it be, and get on with your own life. Why do you have the time to notice or care?

Your - you

I sincerely hope you mind your own damn business op. You have no idea other than what you have worked out for yourself. Not facts.

Butt out.

I would say mind your own business. It's not having any effect on you or your children.

The child will have settled and made friends, got to know their teacher.

The option of the council placing the child there as the nearest school with spaces seems unlikely too.

The chances of an oversubscribed school with a tiny footprint suddenly becoming underscubscribed enough to be the nearest schools with spaces for a family 3 miles away must be minuscule, unless it's been placed in special measures.

And it's an incredible co-incidence that the nearest school with spaces happens to be very close to their second home.

No the parents who lie hurt the child. No one else.

They took that risk when they lie on applications and hope heir kid doesn't give the game away or that people are too stupid to figure out what they did.

People lying causes untold havoc upset expense stress and probably alot of physical pain in some cases- to the poor children who aren't where they should be and have to leave their friends spend hours on buses or walking in the rain and missing play dates.

That is what this person is wishing on you me and everyone else "in their way"

Why are they more deserving of having an easy life. They'd report you in a heart beat

I agree there is something more here, possibly envy as she later admits she may be envious. I’d guess in some way this woman excludes her, makes her feel inferior in some way, is maybe the school gate queen bee and the ops looking to hurt her.

There is no way this is altruism and she knows too much about this woman when she’s not her friend. She doesn’t go for coffees with this woman, she used a different friend as an example. There is something more going on here. She knows too much but not enough.

There is definitely another reason she wants to do this. My money is on the age old school gate cliques.

"I really think all your will do is hurt the child, a child who is innocent in the world of catchment areas and league tables, and that poor kids life will be turned upside down is a real possibility."

Littlebird7 what about the child denied a place at their local school as a result of the fraudulent application? Their life being turned upside down going to a school across town is a-ok with you?

Though nobody else on the MYOB side of the argument has yet managed/bothered to reply to that point, so I have no high expectations...

If their child is adopted or has a statement of special needs they could legitimately get in without living nearby. You have no real idea of the circumstances. Leave it be.

Though nobody else on the MYOB side of the argument has yet managed/bothered to reply to that point, so I have no high expectations...

Well I have. Suggest you read the thread.

If the child has got the place fraudulently and has to move that is their parents' responsibility for trying o defraud the system not the OPs.

Plenty of children move school during primary if their preferred one gets a space.

What would be the OPs responsibility is suspecting fraud and doing nothing. Then the child who legitimately qualified for the school but didn't get it due to fraud would be being disadvantaged due to the OP sitting back.

If there is no fraud then reporting will do no harm.

I can't believe the number of posters on here who would turn a blind eye. Maybe if your child just misses out on a school place you would understand better.

frog they don't care if it doesn't affect them yet can't website that actuakky they aren't being affected.

Op has already said they come out about a ten min walk what's that about half a mile or so? So what 750 m. That's a tiny area there must he loads in catchment who don't get in.

There absolutely could be a legit reason.

And there is also the fraud possibility.

It is bound to raise questions seriously

Definitely report it, OP, so that it can be looked into properly.

MN is fucking hilarious at times with its legions upon legions of MYOBers who are then quite often the same people clutching their pearls because some cheeky fucker has wronged them.

CFs are only CFs because of the MYOBers making it easy for them to get away with their behaviour unchallenged.

Good grief rolls eyes

Bluntness not that I can see. You've said she's envious and that it isn't her job to report because she has no absolute proof. Nowhere do you talk about the poor sods sent to schools across town as a direct result of fraudulent applications, and our communal responsibility to make sure the system stays fair and isn't dominated by sharp-elbowed parents with no morals and too much money.

Sorry but I've not read through the 22-odd pages.

The OP couldn't be referring to a certain school in Kent?
I know of several families who live outside the catchment area who rented a cheap property within the vicinity so that they could claim they lived locally and get their children into a high-achieving/better school.

Maybe it's a sign of the times and people can no longer afford to pay for private education.

Whatever, it's an absolute disgrace that our education system (England) is badly underfunded by our government and we don't have decent schools for our children.

Definitely report any suspicions. You don't have to know for definite to report. If they havent done anything wrong, there's nothing to worry about.