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?

Is the school oversubscribed? How many kids in catchment were declined a place?

We used to live miles out of catchment for infant and junior school, but my son got a place in each because there was capacity. At secondary, we moved into a rental into the area to make sure he got in to the secondary those schools fed into (Mumsnet did NOT approve and said it was cheating) and then bought here. I wanted to keep our old house and rent it out - but was advised I would then get reported for fraud, even though I had no intention of moving out again. Who does that?!

Anyway. We did all of that - and kids out of catchment still got in, the year of my son's intake, and no catchment kids were refused a place. It's a v oversubscribed school so no idea how that happened.

Basically - it feels like school places are a dark art, and people's circumstances may not be what they seem. You could have suspected me of fraud - absolutely no fraudulent intentions, had the paperwork to prove it. I lived in fear that someone from here would report me, and there was much judgment around 'buying' a school place.

The move was the right one for lots of reasons - but the school drove it.,

If you know then report it.
You say you don’t know - not sure why you’d report it in those circs.

If I was near the top of the waiting list, I would report. Otherwise I'd mind my own.

We live 3 miles from my daughters school. When I applied I had to send in a letter stating why I had opted for a school outside of our area and then they made the decision based on that. Just because the child isn't adopted it doesn't mean that there aren't good reasons for them being accepted there

Is that in England, korinthea?

I do know of a house that was let out last Autumn, the house has sat empty ever since. It's within catchment for a very well sought after secondary school

The house is too small to be a family home and the 'tenant ' lives a few miles away (...too far away to be in catchment).

It will be interesting to see if the house appears on the letting market again no school places have been given out.

But like you op part of me was tempted to write a letter to the LEA!

Really... Life is too short

If you have an EHCP application you can put a named school on it. You usually visit the school and they AGREE. Those that don't appeal the decision. You have to go to a school in catchment whilst you wait. They were stoopid to lie about their address if they did as the EHCP usually provides free transport for out of catchment and everything will be done based on the address they gave. The school also does checks for things like this so they many find themselves with a school place where there are spaces left, usually miles away and/often requiring improvement.

Do realise if the child does have SEND needs that can only be met by that school, they could get this without an EHCP for some schools. I would probably keep quiet. If it's going to explode, you don't need to say anything.

You must report it, or a child with poor parents may get into the better school. If they can't afford to buy a house within the imaginary lines, of course their children should not have access to good education.

Gosh I wish this wasn't true, but it's so so true.

@dannydyerismydad

If I was near the top of the waiting list, I would report. Otherwise I'd mind my own.

So it only matters if it affects you? If there is fraud, there will always be a child who has missed out on their legitimate place at the school.

I wouldn’t report it, anything could’ve happened.

@IloveJKRowling

It’s not true. In my experience it is often kids from less well off home who struggle for places while the MC parents rent houses in catchment to get a place.

This is a huge problem in rural schools where the villages can be far apart and kids from the council estates end up having to travel three times as far to get to school because the popular secondary nearest them is half full of the children of second homers and kids with grandparents in the village.

It’s hardly fair.

This happens all the time and it is wrong, but probably not much you can do. There is a boy in ds class and the mum moved in with her mum (near school) for about a week when she made the application. She then moved back to the family home about 4 miles away. If asked she would say marital difficulties meant that at the time she was living near school, but this was very short lived and she soon reconciled with her husband and moved home. The cynical part of me thinks all of this was fake to get a school place.

I’d mind my own, but I think it’s mad we don’t t have more choice as parents, maybe their local school is shite, the whole system is wrong, there should be more schools to choose from so that parents can choose schools instead of schools choosing parents.

my neighbours who has previously been extremely friendly with me did this, next time i saw them the mum hid behind her car until i had gone past. very strange behaviour compared to previously! they had applied for a school place very near here but had already sold their flat and moved several miles away the week after offers day. i couldnt be bothered to report it at the time bt wish i had.

[quote BelleSausage]@IloveJKRowling

It’s not true. In my experience it is often kids from less well off home who struggle for places while the MC parents rent houses in catchment to get a place.

This is a huge problem in rural schools where the villages can be far apart and kids from the council estates end up having to travel three times as far to get to school because the popular secondary nearest them is half full of the children of second homers and kids with grandparents in the village.

It’s hardly fair.[/quote]
I think you've misunderstood entirely. That is what we were saying.

I'd keep my nose out of it. Not your place to be investigating or judging.

Aw leave them to it x

@SchoolFraudDilemma

My child did get a place.

The other child is definitely not adopted

MYOB then. You don’t know circumstances and are just being spiteful in this case. If you were appealing because your child didn’t get a spot the. I would have suggested you use the information you think you know.

I'd report. My child missed out on a place due to similar antics.

Oh wow 6 miles ? Mind your own business seriously get a grip op

@Joinedjustforthispost

Oh wow 6 miles ? Mind your own business seriously get a grip op

6 miles is a huge distance unless everyone lives seriously out in the sticks. Where I live the most popular secondaries have furthest distance offered places of less than 1km, less than 800m in some cases.

I think it's very telling that the two posters on this thread who actually are schools admissions professionals have told the op to report.

"Get a grip" is not appropriate in these circs.

Cheating a difficult system , wrong, yes def report

@wusbanker

Sorry, reading comprehension fail 😞

It just makes me so angry. We get a lot of this at my school. A girl last year blithely admitted (not that it is her fault) that she lives with her grand parents during the week and goes home to the city 50 miles away at the weekend where she actually lives with her parents. Mum and dad just didn’t like the schools there!

When did we all become the Batmans and Batgirls of Social Justice? Is everything we all do 100% socially just, all the time?

Mind your own business, darling,... or send your CV to the Supreme Court, I guess.