Suspected School Place Fraud

[SchoolFraudDilemma]

This is more a WWYD.

If you suspected someone had fraudulently applied for a secondary school place, would you report it?

There is a very outside chance of an EHCP but it is unlikely.

I suspect that they've used a different address to their actual address when applying.

They live approx 6 miles from the school. According to the local authority data, the furthest place offered was 1.2m from the school.

Would you report it or just mind your own business?

[Winterwaves]

What did you do in the end OP?

[Jontomsam]

Nope just things that are none of my business.

[Aria999]

@LolaSmiles I agree I find it weird how many people are relaxed about it

[Wondermule]

Mumsnet: the website where people condemn the lack of resources for the public, while condoning others fleecing them.

[LolaSmiles]

You can bet your bottom dollar all of the ‘mind your own business’ posters on here would be livid if their child’s place was taken by an admissions cheat
100% agree.
They'd certainly not be sitting at home on admissions day saying 'oh well, DC got a place at a school either a 35% pass rate but that's ok. If someone else might have fraudulently took my child's place at our good local school then I don't mind at all as they might have lots going on'

You can also bet your bottom dollar that most of the people saying not to report either:

1. Got their first choice or a choice they were happy with because they're in an area with several good options
2. Are privileged enough to be able to know the system well enough to ensure 1 happens (eg have enough money to move house into a catchment within the required time frames).
3. Either have behaved, or would be willing to behave fraudulently if they thought they could get away with it and would have zero issue depriving a child of their rightful school place.

[Wondermule]

You can bet your bottom dollar all of the ‘mind your own business’ posters on here would be livid if their child’s place was taken by an admissions cheat.

If it’s all above board, they will investigate it, and no action will be taken.

[BlatheringOn]

I have reported. I live a couple of miles from a highly regarded grammar school. One morning a letter to my address arrived with someone else's name so I opened it in case of identity fraud. It was the grammar school congratulating Mrs X on their child receiving a place. I contacted the school and let them know that Mrs X's letter must have accidentally been addressed to me instead of their real address. No harm done if it was an administrative error, but I got the impression that it wasn't and the school said they really appreciated the information. I don't know the outcome, I left them to deal with it. I'm still annoyed that someone fraudulently used my address.

[AndAPartridgeInABearTree]

I would report. It's not your job to do the investigation. It's the LA's.

[TheCatWithTheFluffyTail]

We live miles away from DD’s school but she got in because her primary school was a feeder school which meant she was a higher priority than someone living next door, yet going to primary school elsewhere. The distance we live from the school isn’t on the distance category because that wasn't the one relevant to her. under the distance category, nobody beyond 1km was accepted.

[cabbageking]

Admissions will tell you how many children were accepted under each category and the last one accepted on distance which tends to be one of the lower qualifications.
It is not unusual for children further away to qualify over those closer to the school.
It is also not unusual for a child living next door to a school to not be accepted as other qualify before them.
We seldom accept a child on distance as the school is full before you reach this category.

[bellsbuss]

Adopted children , children in care, SEN, forces come before everyone else and distance doesn't matter.

[maddy68]

You don't know the details. Keep your nose out.

[therealteamdebbie]

But where does it stop? 2 miles over the speed limit, visit elderly neighbor not in your bubble, report it, exercise too far away from home, report it. We know where it starts, but do we know where it ends?

well, it ended up in lockdown and school closure this time. People who pretend their action has no impact are deluding themselves. They might not care about lockdown and schools, and pretend they won't be affected by the hefty bill we'll all have to pay, but every action has consequences.

[Crosstrainer]

But where does it stop? 2 miles over the speed limit, visit elderly neighbor not in your bubble, report it, exercise too far away from home, report it. We know where it starts, but do we know where it ends?

The examples you cite are good ones - but they’re cases of “if everyone did that, we’d all be worse off”. In the case of a fraudulent school place application, then another family is worse off. It doesn’t affect anyone other than them (and, I suppose, anyone on the waiting list behind them) - but they lose out as a result of that action. It’s not a fraud against the wider society, but a specific (if unknown) other family.

[Nobody2u]

@TakeTheCuntOutOfScunthorpe

If you suspect it, report it. I can't believe how many people haven't got this into their heads yet. If you suspect someone is a terrorist, report them, regardless of whether it makes you look racist. If you suspect someone is grooming a child, report them. If you suspect someone is a benefit cheat, report them. If you suspect someone is committing school place fraud, for goodness sake report report REPORT.

Ignoring things - turning a blind eye - just results in innocent people being harmed.

But where does it stop? 2 miles over the speed limit, visit elderly neighbor not in your bubble, report it, exercise too far away from home, report it. We know where it starts, but do we know where it ends?

[Nobody2u]

"A Less good school" can actually be an advantage for Uni access with contextual offers and gateway courses."

This was tongue in cheek!!!

[korinthea]

It is, we live in west yorkshire

[TakeTheCuntOutOfScunthorpe]

If you suspect it, report it. I can't believe how many people haven't got this into their heads yet. If you suspect someone is a terrorist, report them, regardless of whether it makes you look racist. If you suspect someone is grooming a child, report them. If you suspect someone is a benefit cheat, report them. If you suspect someone is committing school place fraud, for goodness sake report report REPORT.

Ignoring things - turning a blind eye - just results in innocent people being harmed.

[therealteamdebbie]

oh, naughty OP who cares about another family losing out because someone cheated the system, how dare they.

I hope you have reported.

If the family is that genuine, there won't be any effect on them anyway.

[zingally]

Mind your own business? You say your precious DC got a place, so why do you even care that another child also did? There could be an untold number of reasons behind the scenes why they got a place.
Unless you are that child's direct family, mind your own.

[LolaSmiles]

I’m sorry but people who have cheated or gamed the system to get their children into a good school have not done the kid that missed out on a place a favour. Going to a less good school is not an “advantage” in university admissions. Contextual offers are just an attempt to mitigate some of the disadvantage that going to a crap school brings
This.

Plus if going to a less good school was such an advantage for university then the fraudster parents surely wouldn't be willing to lie to get their child into the better school.

[therealteamdebbie]

It's clear why you MUST report these frauds

too many people who would turn a blind eye to it, so you have to make sure someone does something about it.

[longestlurkerever]

On threads like this a lot of people say "there are all sorts of reasons why they might have got a place" - Not really. Schools differ obviously but their admission criteria are publicly available and generally known to those who are applying. Looked after children/SEN would be the ones that might not be obvious, but most people know if their neighbours' children have siblings, work at the school etc. I can't imagine myself bothering to report but it does strike me as odd how strong people's feelings are that reporting is wrong. Do you feel like this about other kinds of fraud?

[AtSwimTwoBerts]

When I applied for school places for my DC, it's not just a case of using a local address. There needs to be proof that you live there and the proof was a council tax bill or a tenancy agreement.Your couldn't just use the address of your brother or other relative in the area

You can create your own tenancy agreement and/or council tax bill on about ten minutes. Just saying.