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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Renting in school catchment area temporarily

202 replies

3weeksuntilwine · 08/03/2018 20:48

I’m prepared to be told I’m unreasonable and potentially planning something illegal...

We live on the catchment boundary of a really good primary school and my DD is due to start reception in September 2019. We are currently looking at houses and hoping to move a couple of miles to get into the catchment completely but there’s nothing on the market at the moment and we haven’t sold our house. I’m aware the application process will start in autumn.

Would it be unreasonable to rent a flat for a few months in the catchment area from September 18 and use the rental address on the application? The dodgy bit is that we would continue to live where we are now. My crazy thought is that we’d have a short term lease and if we still haven’t sold/moved then stay in current house until something comes up...(so keep the rental for a few months only)

I know this sounds crazy but we also have two younger kids who would be going to school a couple of years later. If we didn’t get into this school, we would have to consider a fee paying school for the eldest as other schools locally aren’t great. The big cost outlay now would be far cheaper than sending all three to private school.

Am I considering a fraudulent act?
Has anyone done anything similar?
If the majority agree this is an ok plan, are there any flaws in it?
Tia

OP posts:
Bluelady · 08/03/2018 23:13

It wasn't a weird comment. It was perfectly valid.

aimees75 · 08/03/2018 23:15

Why not sell up and rent in the catchment now? This will give you the advantage when buying as you'll be chain free.
Its not illegal or immoral that way.

The rules are there for a reason. You can only apply if you genuinely live in the catchment.

strawberriesandcream23 · 08/03/2018 23:16

I used to work for schools admissions and you are very very likely to be found out. The area I worked for you had to provide proof you lived at your address and if you couldn’t provide all the documents the place would be taken away - even after you accept.

TooManyMiles · 08/03/2018 23:17

Nordic it is wrong but is isn't perpetuating inequality any more than the fact that where there is a good school the houses are usually so expensive that a poor person could never buy or rent there, and after 'right to buy', there are probably few or no no council houses in the area to alleviate this.

NoMudNoLotus · 08/03/2018 23:19

You might well be too late anyway - in our catchment ( which has very good schools) you have to have lived in the house for a period of time -6-12 months.

CavoliRiscaldati · 08/03/2018 23:19

It's another thread entirely. Primary schools are closing all over the country because they don't have enough pupils, properties stay empty because people can't sell them when their parents pass away.
There's a lot of space in our country, people just chose not to use it. I am as guilty as anyone else, I moved into an overpriced area with over-subscribed schools. It doesn't excuse people committing fraud and depriving others.

givemesteel · 08/03/2018 23:19

I don't understand how we have a situation where there is such disparity between UK state schools.

1 Schools in the catchment of poorer areas tend to have a higher proportion of children from homes where poverty / neglect / abuse / dysfunction is more prevalent or where populations are more transient, meaning those kids are more disruptive in class and the parents are less invested in the school and their children's education. Therefore the teacher's focus is on discipline not education and so results aren't as good.

2 That in turn means the quality of teachers tends to be less good in worse schools with high staff turnover etc. The better teachers can get jobs in the easier schools.

3 Conversely schools in more affluent areas have kids with parents who volunteer for pta, fundraise and invest in raising standards. They make sure their kids do their homework, pay for private tutors etc

The problem perpetuates itself as no 'middle class' parent wants their kid to go to the bad school so will pay a premium (through inflated House prices) to avoid that.

Any policy which forced the middle class kids into the poor performing schools would be hugely unpopular - it might be for the good of the collective but everyone wants the best for their kid.

givemesteel · 08/03/2018 23:22

If you move from the catchment area, you lose your space at that school and get allocated one in the nearest available school from your new address.

This is what they do in the US I believe and in my opinion it would make things simpler here.

Horopu · 08/03/2018 23:24

@Garmadonsmum, probably my eldest if the monster had time to roast them, if not my middle child looks delicious.

JustPutSomeGlitterOnIt · 08/03/2018 23:24

I just find it bizarre that you can afford the mortgage on 1 house, plus full rent on a totally empty house as well. Bloody hell.

nowater34 · 08/03/2018 23:24

I have to say I really dislike when people do this. Of course I would love to live out of catchment in a nice big house & play the system but I haven’t as I think it’s wrong so we have paid more for a smaller place. Plus a massive plus for me is the fact there is a community feel, a lot of my neighbours attend our school & it’s super convenient in relation to nursery, work & travel.

Our school prioritise “looked after children” etc, then siblings & then distance. The furthest offer was 260 metres. I know of someone who paid 1.2m for a place 350 metres away so no place. I would be pissed if I was them and someone had played the system.

CavoliRiscaldati · 08/03/2018 23:29

Horopu that could be a way to solve over-crowding I guess

Terramirabilis · 08/03/2018 23:29

@Cavoli @Givemesteel Yes. I live in the US. We're in a city so catchment areas are small in area terms. Moving a couple of streets away would move us to a different catchment area and we would indeed be required to change schools (once we have school-age children that is.) Our house would be worth about 10% more were it a few hundred yards south of where it is purely due to school catchment.

Italiangreyhound · 08/03/2018 23:30

@LadyLance thank you, you have explained that very well.

I do see your/the point.

I hope the OP will do the right thing and move to that area if that is what they want.

And I do wholeheartedly agree, "all children should go to a good school".

Ariela · 08/03/2018 23:31

Have you actually visited the local school, looked around it and seen whether or not it would suit your child? Or are you just saying 'hearsay currently says it's not got a great reputation and the Ofstead (of 2 years ago) is just 'Good', whereas the school we want everyone is singing its praises and it has 'Outstanding' Ofsted report?'

In which case you'll likely find that all will change over the enxt couple of years, schools fall in and out of favour/good Ofstead etc. I'd see what the local school is actually like, ditto the one you want to move to catchment, in person before deciding to move.

FWIW my daughter's infant school was not in favour locally (but it was our nearest school and I thought from looking round it'd suit her -and it did). By the time she got to the Juniuor, the infants was definitely becoming more desirable, and the year after she moved on it was 'the' school to get into. Meanwhile her Junior had an Outstanding the year she joined, but 4 or 5 years later it had slipped, and was not the junior of choice. (We had no complaints)

Bluelady · 08/03/2018 23:32

An empty property after someone's died is entirely different to renting a property to deliberately leave it void. But clearly in the ivory tower of privilege and entitlement it's acceptable behaviour.

LunaTheCat · 08/03/2018 23:35

Well said chocolate

TooManyMiles · 08/03/2018 23:36

As it is some schools are effectively like free 'private' schools attended by relatively rich people who pour their money into a house instead of fees, given how out of reach they are for another section of society. That is another thread really though.

What the OP is suggesting is wrong. But I can see why she asks. Though it is true that so long as she sells her house first and rents in the catchment area of the school before applying to it, that would not be immoral, the result from the school's point of view- her DC at the school - would be exactly the same as if she did cheat first while she waits for the right house to turn up.

In your shoes though OP I wouldn't want my DC to learn lying from this.

LadyLance · 08/03/2018 23:37

@ItalianGreyhound

I'm glad my explanation makes sense to you.

I do wish all schools were good, and all children could have access to the very best possible education for them. I can see in some cases that parents are desperate to do their very best for their children (and sod the children with parents who can't afford to do this). However, in some cases, I also think an element of snobbery comes in. I'm not saying this is the case with the OP.

Italiangreyhound · 09/03/2018 01:51

@LadyLance yes I totally get where you are coming from.

Sadly, some of the desire for a very good school may lead to the parents sending children to one school and they may have been a real asset to another school.

I do genuinely believe in local schools, despite what a previous poster said of my comment. However, as a parent one really does want to do the best for your child. The school my dd went to was not great and yet now my son is there it is better, but then he doesn't have dyslexia! Anyway, thank you for taking the time to explain and not just telling me to leave the thread!!

Helsingborg · 09/03/2018 02:04

Is the catchment primary also in the right secondary catchment area? I'd kill two birds with one if at all possible, it'll save another move later on.

hibbledibble · 09/03/2018 06:28

Ariella that is an excellent point. A school's popularity has little to do with how 'good' it is. How 'good' a school is also subjective.

It is best to look at school's with an open mind, thinking about what is best for your child and their needs.

I speak from personal experience here, I live in a 'black hole' for catchments, so had to look at schools that were undersubscribed.

We found an excellent school, which is overlooked by parents because of the very rough area it is in. It has excellent sports and pastoral provision, great facilities and teaching staff, and a strong management team. My priority when looking for a school was good outside space and sports and pastoral provision, as my daughter is very sporty, but can also struggle socially.

The school has been truly excellent for her and she has flourished. She is working several years ahead of her chronological age and is happy and settled.

By contrast my local 'popular' primary, with a tiny catchment, which parents do all sorts of dodgy things to get a place in, is not reported to be as good, either objectively (Ofsted, value added score) or subjectively (parents reviews, descriptions of how their children are doing)

There are also issues with bullying, as well as poor academic progress at this 'popular' school. Yet it remains popular, as parents want to send their children to a school which is seen as middle class.

Dozer · 09/03/2018 06:35

This happened loads where I lived in London and also happens where I live now (home counties). IMO the council / schools here are less wise to it.

KERALA1 · 09/03/2018 07:05

Hibble it's not the quality of the school it's the other kids.

May get flamed but I think many middle class parents would go for an ok "good" rated school crammed with kids of doctors and lawyers over the "outstanding " one in a deprived area with more chaotic parents and parents less supportive of education. Hence the op. There it is.

RoadToRivendell · 09/03/2018 07:34

Lots of righteous indignation on this thread.

Sure, it's wrong to manipulate the school application process to your advantage. Equally, it's parents that are willing to do anything to improve their child's chances at a good education that make a school desirable.

If I had to take my chances between my kid sitting next to the OP's kid in maths class and an randomly selected one, I'd choose the former.