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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think this was school admission fraud ?

304 replies

Survivor12345 · 22/07/2020 14:26

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?

OP posts:
poorbuthappy · 22/07/2020 14:57

So what was the point in them buying the house if the kids were already in the school?
I get it may make a difference for secondary but that's a long term game to play if the kids were 7 and 5 when they bought it!

ivfdreaming · 22/07/2020 14:57

If you feel strongly about it then I'd make an anonymous report to the secondary school? But since you said you sold in 2015 and the oldest will already be at the school now then it's only going to be the younger child it affects and they may well have got in being a sibling anyway 🤷‍♀️

If you felt so strongly then you shouldn't have waited 5 years and unfortunately you have missed the boat on this one

GeorginaTheGiant · 22/07/2020 14:57

Probably not explained well but what I mean is that them owning the house and living elsewhere doesn’t deprive another child of a place anymore than if they bought it and moved in. End result is the same-they own house in catchment, place is theirs.

This is way less dodgy than someone renting a house in the catchment and living their for a while just to get in to the school then moving back into the home they own elsewhere.

PippinMeriadoc · 22/07/2020 14:59

But if the children already attended the school it isn’t fraud. They had already got them a place so buying your house had nothing to do with it!

GeorginaTheGiant · 22/07/2020 15:00

Wow I missed the part that this was five years ago Shock OP with all due respect, if you’re thinking about this in this way literally years later, I think you might benefit from exploring that with some counselling. Are you feeling upset in some way about the house move, did you want to sell or not?

Itsjustabitofbanter · 22/07/2020 15:01

Why are you obsessing about it so much. Are you planning on telling the school?

MrsAJ27 · 22/07/2020 15:03

But they own the house, it is none of your business why they bought it or am I missing something?Hmm

FunnyInjury · 22/07/2020 15:04

Perhaps they are renting it out but plan to move in before high school applications. Not a problem surely?

OP you sound weirdly bitter about something which you have no real idea about Hmm

Birkenshock · 22/07/2020 15:04

Report them to Herts Council OP. Just email the generic school admissions email.

You need to be LIVING at an address for schools admissions purposes, not just own it. Pretty sure Herts even clarify in their admission rules that if you own two properties, you can only use the "main" residence you live in for admissions purposes, and anything else is fraud

SunbathingDragon · 22/07/2020 15:05

I can’t see your house sale had any bearing on the primary school places as the children were already there. Just because they lived miles away and it’s a great school, doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t have got a place if they asked. It could be the admissions policy gives siblings priority, so that could also account for them both being there.

As for the secondary school, it all depends. Is the primary school a feeder? If so, attendance at the primary school will be sufficient to get a place and where you live won’t affect it.

blosstree · 22/07/2020 15:07

If the primary is a feeder school to the secondary, there wouldn't be any need for any of this. Why are you still thinking about it five years later, it's nothing to do with you?

arapunzel · 22/07/2020 15:07

Kindly OP, you need to let this go.

You sold your former home 5 years ago. It’s not up to you how the property is now used. You have no actual proof they are doing what you think they are doing. You don’t know these people, leave them alone.

BigBadVoodooHat · 22/07/2020 15:07

This makes no sense at all Confused

To clarify, yes, their children were already in the primary school right near our former home, somehow, despite their living (where they still do) in another town.

So they didn't need to buy your house in order to get a place at the school, as they were already at that school.

crikeycrumbsblimey interestingly, the father asked me for a copy of the Council Tax bill when they made the offer. Suspicious ?

No, because the children were already at the school, so what use would a copy of a Council tax bill in someone else's name be in getting a place at a school they already had a place at?

two deserving children who live in that town are now going to lose places at the school there to two whose parents have lied.

But their children are already at the school, so how are two other children 'now' going to lose places at the school Confused

Original poster
Survivor12345 · 22/07/2020 15:09

Thank you Birkenstock that was my understanding, I don't agree with fraud, and if it is fraud, I don't believe they should get away with lying.

OP posts:
DamitJanet · 22/07/2020 15:09

If they were already at the local school before they bought the house then they must’ve been up the list for some reason that had nothing to do with that address anyway surely? I guess they may have used your former address to help with the secondary applications, but not necessarily given it wasn’t needed for primary.
Either way it’s not any of your business, especially after all this time, move on.

viques · 22/07/2020 15:09

Well you will know better next time OP won't you and will no doubt you make sure to sell houses only to people who deserve to live in them. I would get your solicitor to draw up a list of essential qualities you would like purchasers to have,

No school age children
No history of cannabis farm ownership
No drink driving convictions
No hot tub ownership
No noisy pets
References for present neighbours as to good character and sedate home entertainment history.

If you want to report them then go ahead and do so, but be prepared to be disappointed when their children are not publicly evicted from their classrooms and slow hand clapped out of the playground.

SlothMama · 22/07/2020 15:10

Why do you care? They have since moved to the catchment? So what's the issue.

Babymabel · 22/07/2020 15:10

This is not fraud.

canigooutyet · 22/07/2020 15:11

Parents send their children to a school near to the house.
They then decide to buy a house nearer to the school in 2015.
2020 the children are still in the same school. They have stayed in the original home.

I know things can move a bit slow in education, but you would think if any of this was an issue, something would have happened by now.

canigooutyet · 22/07/2020 15:14

Oh I just read the bit about the Council tax letter.

Are you suggesting that before they bought the house, they had already made an application for a place based on your old home? And that this application was successful?

Amanduh · 22/07/2020 15:14

But they WERE ALREADY IN THE SCHOOL. Also it’s been five years. Jesus. Get over it.

RemyHadley · 22/07/2020 15:14

So....you think they bought your house to get their children into the secondary school but didn’t actually live there? You could contact your local council and ask to speak to their admissions department then say that the family have never lived at that house.

If they used that house address to get into secondary school, and if they would not have got a place without it, then yes that might be school admissions fraud.

However from the information you’ve given here, you really can’t tell. Just to give you one example - my cousin was accused of fraud as her mum lived in the catchment area but she didn’t, and some of the other school mums thought she’d used her mum’s address. They didn’t know her child was adopted, formerly in care, so got a priority place at the school. So don’t go around bad mouthing them or anything, you don’t know their situation.

patientlywaitin · 22/07/2020 15:15

As others have said your house is irrelevant to those children as they were already at the school - potentially all above board. They haven't 'taken' anyone else's place by buying your house.
What you're annoyed about is the fact that your house didn't facilitate an additional child entry to the school but that's really not something for you to worry about, especially 5 years later.
Are you upset about letting that house go in general and this is something for you to direct your emotions at?

JaaniGoGo · 22/07/2020 15:15

Wow you love the word fraud!

Notonthestairs · 22/07/2020 15:16

In Herts your secondary school application address needs to show where you live - not just a property you own.
There are no "feeder" schools - you don't move up to a particular secondary just because you went to the nearby primary (unless it's an all through school like Samuel Ryder in St Albans). Catchment address is key and that changes annually depending on numbers applying.

Herts are quite hot on following this sort of thing up though - so very possible the children have other reasons why they should attend.