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?

Definitely no! Never grass anyone up for anything other than major larceny or abuse.

I really cannot see how this is fraud, loads of kids go to schools outside their catchment area

But the children who live in social housing near the school deserve the place over children of parents who own six and seven figure houses who live elsewhere but who can afford to spend a not inconsiderable sum of money renting another place in the very small catchment area. Sounds like CSG. If the school has outlawed this I think I'd report it.

I can't believe the people on this thread saying this isn't fraud or to turn a blind eye to it!

Perhaps they aren't aware how widespread the practice is in certain London schools. I was shocked to find out that it's really quite common in certain schools / boroughs.

Parents either rent a flat in the catchment (which isn't always even moved into!), or to move in with family for the required period before returning to the family home, or even use the address of a buy-to-let flat specifically purchased in the catchment, renting it out to tenants not seeking a school place but allowing the owner to use the address to apply for the school place.

I've seen all of these and it's to be honest I think it's despicable. It easy to think you'll report when when it's when it's your child who may miss out on a place because of it, but not so easy when it's friends or relatives committing the fraud.

It is however deeply unfair - it leaves the children applying from poorer backgrounds on the edge of the catchment at a disadvantage - and the worst thing is that because they don't move in middle class circles, they don't even know it's happening so they can't report it. I would therefore argue it's the responsibility of those of us who DO see it happening to report the fraud - in not doing so, we are complicit.

Yes it's fraud, quite obviously so. If someone rents a house for a year just for the purposes of getting in to a specific school, and it's against the school admission policy, then it's fraud.

Fraud, yes, but quite honestly who is going to report someone for that? Personally I would shut my eyes and ears, far better not to know in the first place and those who actually do all this devious fake house-moving should keep quiet about it.

@Pixxie7

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.

It is fraudulent as they are giving a false, temporary address to get their child into the school, thus depriving a genuine local child of a place.

I agree with you. This pushes up the price of housing around a school, and means people who were born locally often cannot afford to live where they grew up (much like 2nd homes in rural areas).

It also pushes poorer families to worse schools, where they can afford housing, and widens the gap in education between working and middleclass families.

Updating this - I posted because I was genuinely unsure about whether I wanted to report them.

Your answers have been really helpful. Much of the catchment is comprised of very expensive houses but by no means all. So people may be bumping wealthier families - but they are equally as likely to be taking a place from families who live in the social housing nearby.

I have two teenagers and no one in either of their school years did this - so it seems like it's on the up. These are families in houses worth £800-1.2m. They have plenty of options that don't require cheating.

So I reported them. I've no idea of the school will do anything, they may well not. We'll see.

When my sister went to Secondary school my mom told a white lie on the application form in order for her to get into the “good school” that was out of our catchment area.

At the time our parents were divorced and had been for about 10 years. Me and my sister lived with our mom and saw our dad on weekends and holidays. Although our mom lived way out of the catchment area for the good school our dad only lived a 2 minute walk away from it - so my mom put down our dad’s address on the form where it asked for my sister’s address.

My sister’s case did get reported by another mother - the mom of a girl in my sister’s class who had also applied for the good school but obviously didn’t get in because of not being in the catchment area.

The school informed my mom that an accusation had been made and I remember my mom then packing a suitcase for my sister and sending her off to our dad’s house for about two months to make it look like she actually lived there.

Nothing came of it, my sister remained in the school and then I got a place the following year due to me being her sibling.

The good school was in a very affluent area whereas we lived in, what could have been considered to be, “the wrong side of town.” All the schools in our actual catchment area were not high achieving schools and I guess our mom just wanted better for us and did what she could to make it happen.

My mom is normally such a goody-two-shoes that I can’t quite believe she did it.

Fortismere?

Surely lots of people do rent legitimately as well? How temporary does it have to be to be considered fraud? I mean renting but not living there certainly is, but not actually moving house into an area but renting instead of buying. All we've ever been asked for is recent bills, never whether we own the freehold.

Yes it is admissions fraud. And yes it is wrong. And I personally think there should be a find for it.

My abusive ex partner is planning on doing this by using his parents address (he’s already done it for GP) I will not be lying for him.

You have to declare it is your permanent residence. So if you live there in rented accommodation that's fine.

If you also own a house a mile down the road that you're planning to move back into then it's not.

@QueenofmyPrinces I wouldn't be surprised if they have done something along those lines - pretended they have separated or something.

It's up to the school to investigate and I do wonder how thorough they will be. It's the sort of school that will definitely want parents who will push on behalf of their children's education

People here have absolutely no idea when they say you’re bitter. We live in Marylebone and it’s the same situation. Good on you for reporting.

I actually totally agree with op. I think its sneaky and I don't like it. X

It’s only sneaky if it’s true.

The OP has been asked numerous times what evidence she has that the family used the address to apply for a Secondary school place (after all if a sought after primary school place was obtained before they bought the hose, that implies there are genuine reasons those children get priority)

So far they have not answered the question.

Don’t the schools do checks and check the electoral roll to make sure your actually registered under that address? That’s what schools here do and they do random checks to the house to make sure you actually live where you say - if they suspect of fraud not everyone who applies obviously.

@comefromaway I know it's true because the mum told me.

Finally after 45 posts and numerous people asking you drip feed that the mum has admitted to you that she applied for a place using an address they don’t live at.

If that’s the case, absolutely report, but you’d have saved other posters a lot of frustration with your vague posts if you’d said this before (or at least when asked)

[quote namechangedschoolquery]@QueenofmyPrinces I wouldn't be surprised if they have done something along those lines - pretended they have separated or something.

It's up to the school to investigate and I do wonder how thorough they will be. It's the sort of school that will definitely want parents who will push on behalf of their children's education [/quote]
If they want parents like that, what's the problem? I'm not sure I understand you.

[quote namechangedschoolquery]@comefromaway I know it's true because the mum told me.
[/quote]
Presumably she told you in confidence.

definitely fraud - not sure why everyone on here was so anti OP to start - Mumsnet usually very hot on this kind of thing?

Personally I don't think I would have had the stamina to go through all the channels at the local council to report them (after some pointless attempts to report phishing fraud to banks) but you were definitely in the right to do so.

You were right to report this. The people upthread who see nothing wrong in this kind of fraud are symptomatic of the amoral I’m All Right Jack attitude that is becoming increasingly apparent in British society.

@Comefromaway no one asked me how I knew. However, even had she not told me, it is obvious, there are tenants in their house and they are on a flat a mile down the road. With their year 6 child.

@jessstan2. I haven't discussed this with anyone in RL and nor would I.