To think this was school admission fraud ?

[Survivor12345]

We put our house on the market in 2015, knowing that a key selling point was its proximity (walking distance) to the most sought-after primary school in our area, and the fact that the secondary school in our town was the #1 choice for our part of the county (Hertfordshire).

Within 48 hours we had four full asking price offers, all from families with school-age children, as expected.

To avoid a chain, we chose the buyers who claimed to be 'living in rented accommodation' in another town whose two children, then aged approx. 7 and 5, attended the primary school near us.

We did wonder how come they had got in there, but didn't question it too much, concluding that it was not our business. They gushed over our house and claimed that they would be moving straight in when we moved out, were delighted to be sure of the secondary school places etc. etc.

They turned out to have lied about being 'in rented accommodation'; in fact, they owned the house they lived in in the other town, but 'Didn't like the schools there, they are too rough'.

Whatever, after discovering that they'd lied we were halfway through the sales process so had little choice but to continue with them, even though they ducked and dived trying to claim nonsense after their survey etc. We gave them one week to complete after their extortion attempts which they complied with, as they clearly didn't want to lose the house.

So we moved out on completion - and they have never moved into the place !

OK I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS NONE OF OUR BUSINESS, NEVERTHELESS, LYING IS LYING IS FRAUD AS I UNDERSTAND IT WHEN IT COMES TO SCHOOL PLACES ?

Since buying our former house, they have continued to live in their house in the other town and send their children to the town's two highly over-subscribed schools, thus, in our view, depriving two children from our town of two places at good schools near their genuine homes.

They have rented our former house out and continue to own it.

What I would like to know is, does this amount to school place application fraud?

We knew they were buying our house for its proximity to these good schools, but believed them when they said that they were going to move into it and live there.

We don't care what they do, but do believe that it's wrong to game the system like this. Our children are grown, and we're not familiar with the requirements for school applications.

AIBU to ask anyone else who has recent knowledge to tell me whether what they have done is just sharp practice, or is it downright unlawful, in which case, how do I report them?

Why didn’t you report them at the time? I wonder whether someone should call up the authority you helpfully mentioned on here and say that your report was malicious.

@Crumpets111

OP do you work in this particular school and looked up the children's details? Is that why but clearly you cannot admit that because it would be a massive breach on your part?

Hmmm. Especially since apparently on another thread OP has said she works in a school...

Is it Parmiters 😂😂

It may be admissions fraud but a place would only be removed within a fixed time limit. In most areas it is before the child starts at the school or very soon afterwards. I'm talking a matter of weeks.

But Survivor (Op).... Still not actually answering any of the many Qs which have been asked multiple times about on what basis you have decided fraud happened.

No-one on here condones admissions fraud. The only questioning has been about you and you and your story.....the 5 year delay in taking action, and lack of any evidence whatsoever of admissions fraud.

All you have presented is some house buyers who told you they were renting, but turned out to be living in their own home. Everything else is conjecture. You purely rely on the fact people will respond in 2 ways to generate this thread;

• either people will agree with you....because they disagree with admissions fraud. In reality they are agreeing admissions fraud is wrong, without really looking to see if you have provided evidence of the fraud itself. This is what you are relying on....that you hit on a topic people get easily cross about....never mind whether there is evidence of it actually happening in this case.
• Or, people pick up on the fact you moved 5 years ago, so the issue is all out of date. They then tell you to back off and mind your own. Again, this reposnsible serves your purposes because you can say they are condoning admissions fraud or support it. They aren't saying that at all. They are pointing out that with zero evidence and especially after 5 years, there is no case to be made. This is not the same as condoning the fraud.

So interesting to see how you operate this thread in terms of feeding 2 parts of a story so you can say some people support you and some don't.

As lots of people have commented, the crucial thing is that you have never even attempted to answer the questions numerous people asked about what evidence you have for fraud.....but I suppose you've got the satisfaction of pages of replies and lots of people jumping to conclusions about what you have and haven't said, and kept it going. Funny old world!

Is it Parmiters 😂😂

OP said the town begins with B so my bet is on Ashlyns

I remember when Parmiters was one of the less desirable schools in Watford!

Bold fail 🤦🏼‍♀️

Ahh I didn’t read the thread 😄 my DH was the last person to get canes at Parmiters

Caned even

*But Survivor (Op).... Still not actually answering any of the many Qs which have been asked multiple times about on what basis you have decided fraud happened.
*Exactly !

@LemonRedwood

Is it Parmiters 😂😂

OP said the town begins with B so my bet is on Ashlyns

I remember when Parmiters was one of the less desirable schools in Watford!

I deduced the same.

I didn’t sneak into a good school so I can’t read a thread 😉😂

Lol. If it is indeed Berko, I wonder where the hood is that these poor children live in? Hemel? Surely not Tring? Chesham?

When I saw that OP had put up a long post, I assumed she would deal with all the points about whether she actually knew that the children had gone on to the high school, whether she had any evidence whatsoever of actual fraud, etc. And she's swerved all of that, from which it's reasonable to assume she has no answers and no evidence.

So what on earth is the point of all this?

I agree there must be new inside info the OP now has. Otherwise she would've reported 5 years ago.

there was nothing to report 5 years ago... at that point, purchasers bought house from OP..... she had no insight as to how they obtained the primary school place from their other house.

The OP believes - I have no idea whether this is correct or not (because of the lack of information from the OP on the detail) that her belief of 'fraud' began around secondary application.

There is much to critique the OP for on this thread but not for doing something 5 years ago imo.

Usually owning the property isn't enough. The address of the application must be where the child resides for more than half the week.

The OP believes - I have no idea whether this is correct or not (because of the lack of information from the OP on the detail) that her belief of 'fraud' began around secondary application.

But the older child would be around 12 now - therefore in Year 8 or 9. She's still left it for at least a couple of years after his or her presumed date of admission. If she was that bothered, surely the time to say something was when he was in Year 6?

But the older child would be around 12 now - therefore in Year 8 or 9. She's still left it for at least a couple of years after his or her presumed date of admission. If she was that bothered, surely the time to say something was when he was in Year 6?

Depending on their birthday, they may be about to turn 12. You turn 12 in year 7 usually.

I didn’t sneak into a good school so I can’t read a thread 😉😂

I brazenly waltzed into a "good" school purely because my sister had done all the hard work at getting in already. Didn't have to move house or anything 😂

Ha. We did the opposite. We moved to a less affluent area to get into a better school. Muahaha

Depending on their birthday, they may be about to turn 12. You turn 12 in year 7 usually.

And they could be about to turn 13 or 14, as OP is as vague about their ages as everything else.

This is bonkers. You have no idea if they committed admission fraud, you don’t know if they moved back into the house you no longer own for a period to get their child into secondary. You have no clue if the child was bumped up the list on something other than distance, you don’t know if they didn’t get the place by sheer dumb luck. You don’t have any actual info and you have waited YEARS to do anything about it and then have the brass neck to be all indignant and “can’t believe you all think LYING and CHEATING and RIPPING EDUCATION FROM THE MOUTHS OF CHILDREN IN NICE VILLAGES is Ok” when we didn’t know about it until one second ago and don’t even know if there is anything to know.

Yes you need to mind your own business not your concern, child be adopted ! There is a term for
This level of busy body it's called "Karen" they are all over you tube in other peoples business

There are so many people who seemingly accept that fraud is ok!

The OP couldn’t report 5 years ago, nothing had happened 5 years ago - and most people are vague with details on here. Sounds like the eldest is starting secondary school and so the possibility of fraud is relevant around now.

I’d report, if they haven’t done anything wrong then there won’t be an issue. I reported a fraudulent address to the authorities when applying for school places, I was told that one of the applicants was using grandparents address next door to the school, it turns out they were. The problem was that the departments didn’t communicate with each other - the same family changed their address to another relative’s address in another town and got their child into the outstanding school there instead. They were rumbled eventually when the other parents became suspicious after having met up in the other town for play dates etc, one of them reported them but since left had been at the school they couldn’t take the place away. I’m not even sure if it impacted on the sibling link because the younger sibling goes to that same school.

I’d report it OP, you’re right to assume that another child lost out if they got a place based on the address that they don’t live at.