Secondary school dilemma- wwyd

[Schooldilemma2345]

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...

@Disfordarkchocolate

So you are desperate for a school place in a nice area but not so desperate to put up with the inconvenience of being crowded for a few months?

You actually don't want to sacrifice anything for what you want you just want it handed to you on a plate because you have enough money for a second home.

Morally bankrupt and a poor example to your children. I'm sure you'll convince yourself it's fine.

Agreed

I would not risk it fraudulently. I would move in to the holiday place and put up with it for now. Or sell your home as quick as possible and just rent in the catchment area for a year.

Youre a hypocrite not a socialist

Was just coming on to say this.

Maybe change it to "I'm a socialist whenever socialism doesn't inconvenience or disadvantage me"

OP. You are thinking about defrauding another child out of their rightful place

But surely if that other child's mother and father really cared about their child's education, they'd move into their second home too? If they don't value the education, why should they get the place?

theres still no guarantee they'll get in though is there what if your offered second choicetry and move in if you can maybe you and dh sleep on the sofa?

btw my cousin was doorstoped by the LEA to check she actually lived in the catchment area

OP. You are thinking about defrauding another child out of their rightful place

But surely if that other child's mother and father really cared about their child's education, they'd move into their second home too? If they don't value the education, why should they get the place?

xxx

Er....pardon?

The right solution would be surely the following...
OP posts her home address on this thread...
Together with her second home address...

And then the local eduation authority can make a decision.
what's the problem?

Otherwise, yes, LEA doorstepping...Fantastic.

It is not as if state schooling costs a billion or so a year. Not as if many have been denied it. And SEN kids denied the support they should be getting. And not as if state schools are deprived of the Covid testing kits, and the hand sanitiser, and the face masks, and the cleaners they need...

Not as if that were a problem at alll is it now?

Not as if all that costs money is it?

The sheer stupidity of MadameMeursault announcing they're a socialist 🙄🤦‍♀️
Halfwit.

We bought a house and didn't live in it for 1st year as extensive repair works were required. Didn't stop us applying for school places in catchment of new address even though we still actually lived out of catchment. Can't see how OP circumstance is different here holiday home or not. They own the second house... I'd apply!

@sirfredfredgeorge

OP. You are thinking about defrauding another child out of their rightful place

But surely if that other child's mother and father really cared about their child's education, they'd move into their second home too? If they don't value the education, why should they get the place?

Move in to your holiday home temporarily then you can use that address with a clear conscience.

I would do it but only by rightfully making the holiday home my principal house and paying full council tax on it....I’m guessing atm you get Small business rate relief and pay next to nothing - a simple check across 2 databases within the borough council will confirm this and any fraud or dishonesty if you fail to act by the book.

@TheStigReturns....yes they own it, but the point is that it’s not their principal address.

If you make the holiday home your main home, I think you will have to pay capital gains tax on the bigger house when you sell it.

Catchment areas are pretend lines that someone's drawn on a map to decide which kids get a good education and which don't.

There's nothing unethical about navigating around a flawed system.

I can see your frustration OP. I think it’s likely you’ll get caught so I wouldn’t risk it, though you could have separated from your DH and be living there 😉😉😉 (Kidding)

I would say this though, people get high all moral with this situation yet the amount of people that ‘cheat’ to get in to grammar schools is equally as bad imo.

Parents are the local grammar school are told not to use private tutors for their DC to pass the admissions test (Because it’s not fair on the poorer kids) but guess what..... they do.....

Those kids are potentially taking away a place from a more deserving poorer child but that’s ‘ok’ because it’s hard to prove, even though they know it happens.

The outcome is still the same though, so why shouldn’t you try to get your DC in the better school by ‘cheating’ just like them!?

@Kasparovski I appreciate that it's not their principle address, ours wasn't either but I still made decision that was in best interests of my DC.

@yellowgusset

Catchment areas are pretend lines that someone's drawn on a map to decide which kids get a good education and which don't.

There's nothing unethical about navigating around a flawed system.

All catchment areas have schools within them, that's the point What utter nonsense.

You will not only need to live there, you will also need to have disposed of your current main residence.

That doesn’t seem right. Many families live between two homes for all sorts of reasons. Let’s say OP was to split with OH and live with one child in the holiday cottage. Does that mean her child can’t go to the catchment school because the home where her husband still lived was previously deemed a main residence?

Following @TableFlowerss post I am even more pleased I did apply even if technically out of catchment as last week DC3 made it 3 out of 3 at local state grammar school with none of them being tutored.

Thisismytimetoshine Where did I say catchment areas don't all have schools within them? The point is that your child will either go to a good or bad school based on where someone's decided the catchment areas start and end.

@yellowgusset

Thisismytimetoshine Where did I say catchment areas don't all have schools within them? The point is that your child will either go to a good or bad school based on where someone's decided the catchment areas start and end.

No, it'll be based on where you've chosen to live.

All catchment areas have schools within them, that's the point confused What utter nonsense.

You don’t think the lines are drawn for the benefit of the LA rather than for the convenience of the pupils?

Our last home in a new estate marketed at professional families was placed in the catchment of a low attaining primary school slap bang in the middle of one of the poorest estates in the town. It was an obvious bulge in the catchment boundary and this was despite having two other closer schools which still had capacity to take more pupils. Those schools would have made much more sense as a catchment area. Clearly an attempt to bring up the attainment level of that school, without actually spending the money required to properly support those kids to raise their attainment. It obviously didn’t work as not a single parent I knew on that estate settled for catchment, they all asked to be placed in other schools or went private.

@Schooldilemma2345
Spend two days changing all your documents, electoral role, council tax, child's gp, child benefit - so all documents ate registered at second home.

Actually living there, 2 miles away wont be a huge issue for few months, if you choose.
Assuming the school offers sibling entry? A few months crowded will be worth it for the 5-7 years your child attends the better school and all the subsequent years their siblings attend.

Your within your right to move once you've got thr school place. Just like those who rent for months needed, just for the purposes of being within catchment rules.

Do it, but do it properly, with all the paperwork switching included

a hypocrite not a socialist

We moved house so DD could get in to a catchment school which was far more accessible and meant she could be at a mainstream school with minimal support.

I’m socialist through and through, should I have stayed where I was and just accepted she couldn’t access the playground or upper classrooms?