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

[patchworkquilt1]

.... 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?

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

To all the people suggesting the OP's Mum move in with her - what if her Mum has her own life and likes where she lives? I do school pick ups (I drive) but I wouldn't move in with DD just to facilitate this.

It would make more sense for OP to move in with her Mum but it's, by no means clear, Mum wants this either. Stop taking her for granted.

People often accuse those who start controversial threads of being journalists.

This is always really unlikely - a journalist might write about someone else's thread, but they wouldn't start one anonymously without being upfront about who they are.

It goes against every journalistic ethic not to declare yourself upfront (unless there is a genuine reason, e.g. going undercover to expose illegal practices).

Cynical: if you are that desperate move in with your mum and rent your place for a bit. Get your name on her council tax, and you off yours.

Move your child in with your mum. Then It’s not fraud.

It will be much less convenient for you and them if the school is 15 miles away, there is quite a lot of extra stuff to do apart from dropping off and picking them up over a term.
Your children will get asked to parties and play dates and it will add to your workload if you have to drive to and from a different area twice or three times a week. Could your mum get a bus to your house twice a week and pick them up and you give her a lift back? In the morning the school may have breakfast club.

It depends on the numbers I think. DS goes to school in my mums town a similar distance away. I was open and honest in the school application and gave all the reasons why I wanted him to go there.

If you are in England, at a state school/academy, I'm afraid that all your explanations on the form make not one jot of difference.
School entrance is done according to law. It is done according to the published criteria of the school. It is done by computer based on the details you give, eg address, siblings etc.

The space on the form to say why you want a school is a complete waste of space and I don't know why it is there. It MAY be useful at appeal, but reception appeals only really succeed if the LEA has made an administrative error based on the criteria, so it isn't even useful then.

Much like the people who say - I only put one school donw, so they had to give it to me. No, they didn't. You just happened to fulfil the criteria, and were lucky not to end up with a school place miles away.

If it were me I'd do this..

keep the house but leave it empty aside from checking up on it now and then

move in with your mum and change all yours and the kids doctors details etc to her adress to make sure it is official. Get the catchment school.

gradually do house up over time and pay off arrears using some of the petrol money you save not going back and forth so often and not using the gas/leccy as much and not needing a tv licence (I say some of as I am guessing your mum will want a contribution for living with her)

when sorted, sell it and get your own place near your mum

Many LEAs use the address that child benefit is paid to. That is the main residence of the child, so for divorced parents, that is the one they have to declare.

A side point - how does that work for families who don't claim Child Benefit? We don't as DH earns too much. I don't have any letters from them at all. I am on the council tax form though!

Absolutely shit situation OP, I’m sorry. But the possible consequences are nowhere near worth it. Even the least severe consequences - I.e. your child losing the place when admissions find out - are pretty awful, before you start talking about fines and prison!

Very old link, but still: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8043561.stm

No.
No one I know out of my friends either although no plenty who have appealed and got legitimate places.

OP's choldren only have one address.

Granny's is where they go for childcare-they are surely never resident there.

What are the schools near you like Op?

What happens if the OP is deciding to live with her mum and it’s gran who is paying the council tax???

electoral roll?

OP - there is alot to think about. Childcare is expensive but many schools do have wrap around care and if managed by the school, isn't profit making so the costs are kept down. Look at school websites and get an idea. You can have a frank conversation with the school near your mum's about the possibilities of you getting in with your address - they will know how likely that may or may not be. I can see you feel stuck, as is often the case when single parenting, but I would do some thorough research and see if that doesn't begin to shift things for you. Ultimately, looking for a way to move nearer to your mum is probably going to be prudent - you have a long time in primary school to cover.

And yes do what lubeybooby suggested.

Check out if school near yr mums will be undersubscribed as this years admissions are a low birth area so you might be lucky and save yrself sone stress.

Call your LEA now.

Tell them exactly what you have told us - explain how much time across the week they are based at your mothers.

They will be able to tell you:

a) whether you have right to mention this address on your application
b) how subscribed your preferred school is and what your chances are based on your home address.
Do it now whilst you have a year and if they say 'no' to mum's address and that you won't get in based on your address, then you know you need to make a plan.

Yes I am shocked at those who think the ran should move in during the week to help with childcare. So basically assuming the woman has nothing else to do with her time once the OP is home. But if she really does have nothing else to do, she can bugger off home at weekends when we don't need childcare.

your local authority website(s) should have clear details about admissions criteria - please check that out first to avoid misinformation

Loads of people used to do this but I don't know if it's still as popular now

People often accuse those who start controversial threads of being journalists.

It's not controversial threads, it's the open question "please give me examples of" and follow up questions, that comes across as a journalist trying to write an article.

Around here as schools are super competitive. It goes off where your child benefit is registered too and your health visitor. As well as an investigation into anyone whos moves in with in 6months of applying.

if you follow Lubeybooby's advice, you may still get caught, as if you own a house that is sometimes taken as the main residence despite renting elsewhere.

You really need, as a first point to find out what the council uses as their address. It is fine to phone up admissions and ask. It is even fine to say we may move house, just want to know.

You can, at the same time, ask how far away the last child accepted into the school near your Mum's was, and, if that school is full, or has a waiting list .

Many of the answers ans suggestions on here will vary from LEA to LEA and you need to know what the LEA where your current address is has down as their rules.

Just apply to the school and use your address. There is space on the form to say why

My colleague did this last September. Used her aunt and uncles address to get her dad into our school.

She had to divert her bank statements there and get added to their council tax to do it.

I don't know what county you're in but most county councils have a page on their websites about how school places are allocated. This link is for Surrey....

www.surreycc.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools/admissions/arrangements-and-outcomes/previous-years

Just scroll down a bit and you can see admission for reception places by area. It details how many places were available and how many children got places. As well as how many where siblings etc and tells you the furthest distance. Remember distance is as the crow flies.

Have attached a screenshot of a random few schools.