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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if you've ever been guilty of 'grannymandering'

283 replies

patchworkquilt1 · 24/01/2019 19:48

.... to get your kids into a certain school.
To accommodate your child minder / grandparents?
How did it pan out as your kids got older?
Did you get caught out?
If so what happened?

OP posts:
PyongyangKipperbang · 25/01/2019 00:05

I cannot understand how parents would risk their poor child being dragged out of their new school after a few weeks. Those poor children have made friends, settled in etc and then suddenly everything has changed.

I am sure they will defend this by saying that they just wanted the best for their child but for me, the risk of them being uprooted in such a way is not the best for them! Even if they never get found out, the risk is there and not one I would be prepared to take just to tell my friends that my child got a much coveted place.

PyongyangKipperbang · 25/01/2019 00:06

Or, as in the OP's case, to facilitate child care.

Do they not give a single toss about their kids?!

happytits2019 · 25/01/2019 00:09

I had to give proof of address to school ?

Choccywoccyhooha · 25/01/2019 00:12

After a spate of this kind of behaviour and one year where 3 parents were caught out, our council now ask that everyone given a place at our village primary school presents proof of address. If you can't do this, then you lose your place, but as all other places have been allocated you have to take what they have,
It's not worth the risk OP.

Original poster
patchworkquilt1 · 25/01/2019 00:33

Fuck sake @PyongyangKipperbang of course I 'give a toss' about my kids!
What a daft thing to say!

They go to local school and there is no one to collect them.

They go to school pretty much next door to my mum, the same school I went to, and it enables me to continue to be a hard working, contributing member of society.

Imagine this was my post:
AIBU to quit my job and live off the stage because my nearest and only affordable childcare option is 15 miles away from the DC school?

I'd be flamed!

This is a true case of desperation... rock and a hard place

OP posts:
Original poster
patchworkquilt1 · 25/01/2019 00:34

And fwiw, it's not even a sought after/ high achieving school

OP posts:
PyongyangKipperbang · 25/01/2019 00:39

I apologise.

I have RTFT and I saw that you have decided to not go down that route. My comments where in reference to families who have been mentioned on here as having their children removed from schools because they chose to lie. It was not directed at you and I should have made that clear.

PyongyangKipperbang · 25/01/2019 00:41

And I stand by my earlier post that you need to reconsider selling up and living with your mum.

You are both financially better off by sharing your housing costs, you get to apply for the school perfectly legitimately, your commute is shorter and any equity you get from the house sale you can save until you are in a position to buy again.

PyongyangKipperbang · 25/01/2019 00:42

I would also like to say that I did say "AS IN the OPs case, to facilitate childcare". I was using your situation as an example, it was not directed at you but I didnt make that clear. Sorry.

Drogosnextwife · 25/01/2019 00:45

Can you out in a placing request to the school you want them to go to. People do it in my area all the time.

quizqueen · 25/01/2019 01:04

Have your mother to stay at your home from Monday- Friday to do the childcare.

missnevermind · 25/01/2019 01:20

We actually did this legally and that was enough of a headache.
We sold our house and moved in with my parents as a long term thing to eventually buy their house to fund their retirement.
I was hard work with all the paperwork needed. Obviously all the household bills and council tax were in my Dads name and as we had not long moved we didn’t have much as a proof of address.
In the end he had to write a letter stating that my children lived permanently at his address and that he was prepared to be interviewed about it.

llangennith · 25/01/2019 01:23

Why not contact the school and ask if it's possible for your DC to go there and explain why?

pineapplebryanbrown · 25/01/2019 01:27

Thank goodness - i thought it was being an OAPaedo Grin

HopeGarden · 25/01/2019 06:22

If it’s not a sought after school then you may be in with a chance applying from your actual address.

Depending on how oversubscribed schools are in general in your area / your mum’s area.

FluffyMcCloud · 25/01/2019 06:32

Can you go pick your mum up and get her to yours so she can do school drop offs while you are at work then drive her home after?

Farahilda · 25/01/2019 06:46

"Why not contact the school and ask if it's possible for your DC to go there and explain why?"

There is only one answer to that, which is 'yes, if they fit the entrance criteria better than other applicants' which isn't really going to help OP. It's a process regulated by law, and a sob story to the head won't make any difference (not least as the main application rounds ar does by the LEA for final allocations).

(I think the reason there isn't a term for the practice which OP uniquely describes as grannymandering, is because the cheating is already in use)

Devilishpyjamas · 25/01/2019 06:47

LA’s usually have data on their websites - number of applications & admissions for each school. Have a look and see whether the school has ever been oversubscribed.

Viewofsaturday · 25/01/2019 06:50

As lots of people have said, if it's not sought after you could just apply for a place and may well get it. No need to do anything underhand. If you go to the website of the LA which your desired school is in, go to their school admissions section and look for admissions data/catchment information. They all usually publish previous years admissions information somewhere, not always called the same thing, but it will be there. Schools also sometimes publish their own on their own website. You will be able to see whether they usually fill all their places. If not, happy days!

I've seen people on here who were moving counties apply for schools many many miles away before having their new address because the schools were under subscribed. If they've got a spare place they don't care if you live 50 miles away.

Viewofsaturday · 25/01/2019 06:52

Ha ha. All the primary school admission data geeks wake up at 6.30.

Readysteadygoat · 25/01/2019 06:54

My DSIS did it. My neice went to the decent secondary opposite her grandparents. She's at college now. Surprisingly there were no repercussions

PorkPatrol · 25/01/2019 06:57

I get that you don’t want to lose your house but if you can’t afford to stay there and pay for childcare I don’t see what other option there is than moving in with your mum - assuming you can’t get a school place near her using your own address. Have a look look on the admissions information for the schools you are interested in - if they aren’t the best and are struggling to fill classes you may get a place wherever you live. If they are outstanding and oversubscribed you won’t have a chance 15 miles away.
Breaking the law isn’t an option - even if you were happy to have your child collude in a lie about where they live you wouldn’t have the necessary documents with your name and your mums address on to enrol your child at a school by your mums house using that address.
Your mum could move in with you. But then you’re still left with a house you’re struggling to pay for and a hefty drive to work. And also the extra expense of having another person in your home - I don’t know about you but I’d be loathe to ask for contributions from your mum to bills etc when she’s providing free child care.

Weezol · 25/01/2019 07:00

Just FYI, depending on your mortgage agreement, you may be in breach of conditions if you rent the property out.

PorkPatrol · 25/01/2019 07:00

Just to add that LAs are much hotter on being defrauded out of school places these days and much more strict on proof of address. They know all the tricks. People who got away with it 10 years ago wouldn’t today. You’re not going to be able to pull the wool in a way many, many other people haven’t tried before you.

MargotLovedTom1 · 25/01/2019 07:02

Fluffy the OP works near her mother. You're suggesting she does a 30 mile round trip at 7am or similar, with the children in the car, to fetch her mother, then drive another approx 15 miles to work? Then do the reverse every evening?
I think your only option is apply legitimately. I know of two siblings at our school who had to leave due to this.

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