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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Secondary school dilemma- wwyd

142 replies

Schooldilemma2345 · 10/09/2020 19:12

My ds1 is in year 6 so we’ll be applying for secondary schools this October. We were planning to move into the Catchment area of our preferred school but our purchase has just fallen through. It’s so frustrating as we were due to exchange this week and it’s been going through since just before lockdown. The owners of the house were buying were planning to downsize but they’ve changed their minds and can’t bear to part with the family home. To make matters worse, when we told our buyers about the problem and suggested we might be prepared to go into rented for a while, they have said they their buyers (1st time buyers are having issues with their mortgage as the wife has had her hours cut considerably due to COVID). It looks like the whole chain has completely collapsed.
We have a holiday cottage which is in the catchment area of the school, it’s tiny (2 bedrooms) so we can’t move in (we have 3 dc) but I’m wonderIng If I ABU to use that address to get a school place.
I know is against the rules but what are the chances that we’ll get caught. In all likelihood we’ll have moved into the catchment area before the start of year 7....
I feel it’s unethical but I’m actually really desperate...

OP posts:
spidermomma · 10/09/2020 19:41

I think your daft if you don't do it ! It gets him in the school you want and your eventually moving to that area so no big deal youl of moved before he starts !

edenhills · 10/09/2020 19:41

You would be very unreasonable, but I'd do it!

Feelingconfused2020 · 10/09/2020 19:45

No I wouldn't do something illegal especially not when it comes to children because your child is old enough to know and it's asking for trouble. It's also potentially gonna mean that the school place would be at risk.

You could live in the house for a short while though. Is there a dining room or another room you could convert into a temporary bedroom then two of them could share.

Look into the guidelines but I think they only really care if you live there when you apply so you could just move there for a few weeks maybe?

Original poster
Schooldilemma2345 · 10/09/2020 19:46

Just for context-We live in a very rural area literally 50m over the county line a couple of miles outside a middle sized city. Within that city there are 3 good schools all on the other side of city to us and one awful school (on special measures, under subscribed, very small GCSE offering etc), which is nearer to us albeit within a different LA. We would like our kids to go to the nearest good school in this particular city, it was 2 miles from our prospective new house. Without moving from our current address we would have the choice of 2 schools in the next nearest town within our county. They are both 20 miles away. Both me and DH work in the city with our preferred school and our other children are at a primary there too.

OP posts:
Bargebill19 · 10/09/2020 19:48

@TeenPlusTwenties

Ah I hadn’t realised they would look at it like that. Fair enough, places are limited and they have to decide somehow.

Sorry OP.

LuluJakey1 · 10/09/2020 19:51

So you have a holiday house 2 miles from your house?

Original poster
Schooldilemma2345 · 10/09/2020 19:54

@LuluJakey1

So you have a holiday house 2 miles from your house?
We used to live in it when we only had 1 toddler, it’s tiny 2 up 2 down and we rent it out as a holiday cottage for a bit of extra income.
OP posts:
MagicSummer · 10/09/2020 19:56

I cannot believe that people move house just to get their kid into a school? Madness.

OverTheRainbow88 · 10/09/2020 19:58

@MagicSummer

You must take the nice schools near you for granted then.

We will definitely be moving for secondary school. Our local one has been in special measures for 6 years. The results are appalling. I need better for my kids.

OptimisticSix · 10/09/2020 19:59

I would move in and sell your other house. So you will be squashed for a while, you will get through it 😁

tiredanddangerous · 10/09/2020 20:00

I don't know how likely you would be to get caught but if you were your dc would lose their school place.

OverTheRainbow88 · 10/09/2020 20:00

Also... selling now in the property boom, living in your smaller house, then buying in a year when house prices mag have dropped could be good as well?

JoanieCash · 10/09/2020 20:01

If you focus in this chain with disposing of current property And then move into your holiday home then I think it feels ok. You are invested in that area (lived there before, ongoing property there, and plan to move there). This is a higher moral ground than those who swoop in from elsewhere and rent for catchment areas or can afford to buy similarly.

Beautiful3 · 10/09/2020 20:06

Yes I would. But I wouldnt tell anyone.

Heartlake · 10/09/2020 20:07

Worse things have happened than 3 DC sharing a bedroom short term.

Sell your house asap, put your stuff in storage, move into the cottage. See it as an adventure!

All kids get the high school you want, no fraud has happened and you're good to go for the next move.

I can't believe you haven't done this already!

Floralnomad · 10/09/2020 20:10

Someone will definitely report you if it’s a popular over subscribed school , it’s really not worth the risk or stress . Personally I’d just move in and put up with the lack of space for the short term .

Thisismytimetoshine · 10/09/2020 20:12

Do you really think you're the first to come up with this cunning wheeze, op? It's been done to death Hmm.

Joeblack066 · 10/09/2020 20:18

Where we live you’re not guaranteed a place in the catchment area either!
In your shoes I would just apply and be honest and see what happens. Do it the proper way, not the sneaky cheating way. What example is that setting for your children?

donnadenise · 10/09/2020 20:20

It's unethical and it's fraud. If you were found out you'd lose the school place and you'd rightly have to move your DC to another school.

Flackattack · 10/09/2020 20:20

If it’s your house and you own you can do it. Schools get a list from the council. Even if you got dubbed in for not the main home you own it so they won’t care.
What school has enough time to do house visits?
You’d only get caught out if you didn’t own it!

donnadenise · 10/09/2020 20:21

[quote OverTheRainbow88]@MagicSummer

You must take the nice schools near you for granted then.

We will definitely be moving for secondary school. Our local one has been in special measures for 6 years. The results are appalling. I need better for my kids.[/quote]
Find out why they have been in special measures. My eldest went to a school in special measure and came out with 9 A* GCSEs.

RedskyAtnight · 10/09/2020 20:23

So are you saying that the school you are likely to get into if you don't move is the "awful school on special measures"? What is your chance (looking at previous years' admissions of getting into any of the good schools in the city from your current address? Is there really no hope? I certainly don't understand why you think you will end up with DC at a school 20 miles away if you don't move. You are aware you don't have to apply to a school within your county?

daisymoo2 · 10/09/2020 20:23

We had a similar dilemma three years ago. Private school is our closest school. Initially accepted a place but just not convinced it was worth it and ultimately turned down offer. Neighbouring village (where we own a house but don’t live there) has one of the country’s top performing schools. Or, our catchment school - in the opposite direction from work, bottom quartile in league tables and a bus ride away. We went with the catchment school. No regrets. Morally I’m glad we did the right thing.

Thisismytimetoshine · 10/09/2020 20:24

@Flackattack

If it’s your house and you own you can do it. Schools get a list from the council. Even if you got dubbed in for not the main home you own it so they won’t care. What school has enough time to do house visits? You’d only get caught out if you didn’t own it!
They will care. They'll use the address the council tax bills prove you've actually been living at.
Teacher12345 · 10/09/2020 20:24

Don't you until January to submit the application? I would rent in the area and sell your house so you are legit living in the area as you are going to buy a house there anyway.