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AIBU?

Suspected School Place Fraud

365 replies

SchoolFraudDilemma · 01/03/2021 19:18

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?

OP posts:

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Crosstrainer · 04/03/2021 20:29

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.

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therealteamdebbie · 04/03/2021 20:56

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.

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maddy68 · 04/03/2021 20:58

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

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bellsbuss · 04/03/2021 21:09

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

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cabbageking · 04/03/2021 21:45

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.

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TheCatWithTheFluffyTail · 04/03/2021 21:54

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.

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AndAPartridgeInABearTree · 04/03/2021 22:29

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

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BlatheringOn · 05/03/2021 15:57

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.

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Wondermule · 05/03/2021 16:03

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.

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LolaSmiles · 05/03/2021 18:45

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:

Got their first choice or a choice they were happy with because they're in an area with several good options
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).
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.