Another school fraud thread

[namechangedschoolquery]

The thread in active convos has prompted me to post something I've been wondering what to do for a while.

I live in an area of London that has one incredibly sought after school. Houses in the catchment are literally millions of pounds but there is also some social housing and a lot of people in catchment send their kids to private schools. I know of two families in my dd's year who have rented in catchment to get their oldest kids in. Local schools are ok but nothing special.

As far as I am concerned this is cheating. I always thought I would report this if I saw it and yet I haven't.

Would you?

You sound like a stuck up snob

Huh? It’s not fraud to rent.

Not a biscuit no, I've been here since 2006 and lost a whole Christmas to the mouldies drama.

Weirdly it hasn't happened here before - I've got two older kids at local secondary schools. So what I thought I'd do and what I have actually done aren't aligned.

I think one thing that stops me is that you can buy your way in to this school if you have £££ anyway so perhaps there isn't much difference. But it is cheating and it is so blatant.

It is fraud if you already own a house and are renting another one for a year to get into a different school

So people who live in the area are able to send their kids to school in the area and this makes you angry? 🤔

I got my 2 dds christened so they could get in the local school (naughty me)

Short version

People out of catchment live in houses they own, rent in catchment for fancy school for one year and claim they live there to get kids in. Then move back into their normal houses. Younger siblings will get places at fancy school due to sibling preference.

This is not allowed according to admissions policy.

I do not live in catchment of fancy school, I live near these families. My kids go to local school which is perfectly good imo.

You sound extremely bitter

I appreciate my first post wasn't very clear.

I am not in the catchment for the fancy school!! I live a way away from it, as do these other families.

Really @MarthasGinYard?

Why?

Bit bored love?

Just to be clear then...you're complaining about people living in an area you don't live in in order to send their children to a school that your children don't attend? Why?

Why bother posting? If you’re concerned just tell the school. They’ll deal with it, problem solved. No one will know it was you that provided the information and if the school think it’s a non issue then they won’t do anything. I don’t see what the issue is with these school fraud threads... just write the school a letter and be done with it.

Some of the schools in this area check for this very thing.

If it isn't your childrens school, and doesn't effect you, why would you report them? Although their behaviour is unfair

Is this Camden? I know people who did this. Rented out their house in another borough and rented in Camden to get their eldest daughter into Camden School for Girls then moved back. Camden has instituted really strict rules now - if you own a home elsewhere you are not eligible for a school place.

I get where the OP is coming from- it's the sharp elbowed middle classes taking places that might otherwise go to local girls.

Why would you be so spiteful?

My understanding is that the situation you describe is admissions fraud if the house they are renting is not their primary residence. To prove it would depend on the length of time they were living there. If they rented just for the admissions process then moved back before school started then it would be fraud. If they were there for the longer, especially if they continued to live there until the child started school, it would be harder to argue, especially if they rented out their other property while they were living there. Their rental property would become their primary residence in a situation like that.

I have to agree with you. I know someone who has done this twice. Vacating their house and renting a house near their preferred school therefore unfairly taking a place of a child who actually lived in the catchment area. Once the child had a place (which also included sibling preference) they moved back to their own house in a different catchment area. The second time it happened was after a falling out with the 'desired' school and so the process started again. Smacks of entitlement and a lack of integrity.

DH has a relative who is doing this to get into a very sought after school. What they’re doing is living in the house they own, about 20 miles away, then subletting the flat that they are renting. They are very upper middle class, and can afford to do let the flat sit vacant if there isn’t a tenant for a spell. It really isn’t fair on the students that are potentially missing out who have more of a right to be there.

@namechangedschoolquery

Short version

People out of catchment live in houses they own, rent in catchment for fancy school for one year and claim they live there to get kids in. Then move back into their normal houses. Younger siblings will get places at fancy school due to sibling preference.

This is not allowed according to admissions policy.

I do not live in catchment of fancy school, I live near these families. My kids go to local school which is perfectly good imo.

Unlike the op of the other thread, this clearly is fraud. Surprised they aren’t more hot on it in London. A lot of London boroughs would discount the rental address and use the other one.

This makes me mad. Those can afford to own/rent then get into the school by the backdoor. While others who actually live in the catchment area but can't afford the same end up being sent to a school further away. While the "renters" then move back to their home - increasing traffic, taking away the soul of a place and denying those who should have a place. I'm sure the posters who first commented haven't understood your post properly or what this behaviour actually means. Regardless of whether it affects you or not I do believe that if you know of this happening you need to report it. It has wider social and economic implications and is unfair.

I really cannot see how this is fraud, loads of kids go to schools outside their catchment area. People do all sorts of things to get their kids into good schools, like paying for a private education to get into grammar schools. In my opinion this isn’t fair but not fraudulent.

Fortunately a lot of LAs are wising up to it, Paperplain. There are now quite a few areas that won’t accept a rental address if you already own a property or who have changed the sibling criteria to give higher priority to those living nearer the school but who don’t have a sibling.