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?

[CharlieBoo]

Oh god I’d leave well alone! Here (bucks) you have to provide proof of address..

[Rubyupbeat]

Report it, its denying a local child a place, or a sibling.
In our area they do spot checks at night or early mornings for primary schools, not sure about secondary.

[huggzy]

DS didn't get a place at our closest school originally because someone else used a family members address in their application. He was first on the waiting list and thankfully got a space before the start of term. It was incredibly stressful and so frustrating because if the other family had been honest about their address, DS would've got that place with no issues.

I don't know if I'd report it or not- I was very tempted in our situation to be honest! I just think if lots of people did this sort of thing, and nobody reported it because it's not their business, there's no point having any sort of allocation system in the first place.

[HunterHearstHelmsley]

@ancientgran

Someone did it to me, reported that we'd lied about address to get son a place at a school. My ex and I had shared custody 50/50, if he'd gone to a school near me he couldn't have stayed with his father in term time. If he went to school near father it was fine as I drove to work and could drop him off, he also had a sibling at the school. All made clear in application so no issues but we were informed of the complaint.

I do hope the busybody was told they had wasted everyone's time. You don't know other people's circumstances.

Similar happened to my sister. Firstly her partners ex claimed she'd used our mum's address (she hadn't) then tried to claim she had fraudulently used sinking priority (she hadn't). It was an utter pain and the relationship has now completely broken down with the ex. All her own doing.

[bigbird1969]

I would report it...sick of folks fidlding the system. Our local schools got tough as they became aware of the addresses used for short lets to get a place. Also using grandparents addresses. I knew of one woman who didnt get a place and she was furious...it was sought after and in london so your talking metres not miles. She temporarily registered her address in a flat closer to the school. Got offered over the summer and moved back to her house which was around 300metres away. Joyous to have the funds......priviledge of the wealthy. Our local primary was in the news a few years ago for parents and child being turned away on there first day of school as they had been found to lie

[StellaDendrite]

I’d report it and not worry about it. If it’s a legit application then there would be no harm done and if it’s a fraudulent application then the place can be given to the person who the place had been ‘stolen’ from.

If the place had been awarded fairly then it won’t take the school admissions people a moment to check.

I can’t see any downside of reporting

[ChameleonClara]

@Wearywithteens

“The whole world is unfair, especially when it comes to school places”

The law says they should be fair. If you have a reason to think the school’s policy is not fair you should report to the School’s Adjudicator whose job it is to investigate.

The whole system is unfair. The rules are 'fair' but not at all fair.

Think about how catchment areas are decided.

You can't report the entire British education system to the adjudicator!

[Nothinglikeachocolatebrownie]

Report!

[Lalliella]

MYOB. School place fraud is very unlikely to succeed, there are lots of checks. More likely that there’s some SEN or the child is adopted. The parents might not want to share this with you. I can’t imagine why not.

[XelaM]

Not unless your kid is on the waiting list! Why would you?

I actually KNOW someone who did this with a leafy North London comp two years ago (they openly told me). This year they also got the sibling into the same school on “sibling policy”. They live about 5 miles from the school and the school has a tiiiiiiny catchment (around 0.4 miles). Why would I report it? It doesn’t affect me in any way and they are just trying to do the best for their kids.

[Ihatemyseleffordoingthis]

3 kids in 3 different (Secondary) schools - all required electoral rolls/bills/written evidence of main carer and child's residency, prior to taking up place. The truth will out. Poor kid will get turfed out if

And those who are second/third on waiting lists, hold your nerve. They move pretty quick.

[spongedog]

TheLumpySofaCushion Mon 01-Mar-21 20:22:46

This isn't the same as to be honest, if they were actually living in the rented house then they met the criteria.

But they dont, otherwise everyone would rent for the few months prior to cut-off. The conversations were around this being a short-term move. Once child in, then stop the lease and move back to their own house (1 road out of catchment away).

Brunt0n Mon 01-Mar-21 20:39:48

You’d think for £3500 a month they’d just send this child private

They had 2 children (so 2nd would get in later on sibiing policy) and they either couldnt afford long term private or dont agree with private - I never got that far in my friendship.

It was the blatant manipulation of admission criteria that offended me. A lot. Despite me and my family not being affected by it at all. Directly. It was the fraud that offended me a lot. (I know the area and all primary schools are good in that area. This was convenience.). I am quite sad that many of you think this is OK. If the admission relates to vulnerable children the LA and school will know. And that is fine.

[Greeneyesbiglashes]

If the child has an EHCP they would have found out by the legal deadline for children with EHCPs which was 15th February. So depends if this was from today or previously.

[SionnachGlic]

Tip offs & suspicions...worse than curtain twitching.

Schools have their own admissions systems & ways of checking information on application. I'd stay out of it OP...of course, presumably you want the reporting to remain anoymous. I might support reporting if I thought you'd stand over your principles & take any fall out coming your way. By MN replies on here, you'd have a body of supporters...maybe not so many at the school gate! I'd been renting in a different county when I applied for school place on basis that we'd have moved by time place came up...so my address was miles away when place was offered. We did move a few months before school started & so fulfilled admissiins criteria. If some busybody saw my application or checked out my address before then...well, they'd be barking away up the wrong tree.

[toocold54]

Usually I would have said mind your own business but my niece didn’t get a place in September at the secondary closest to hers which is just under a mile away and has to go to one almost 12miles away and there are children who travel from further away to go to the one closest to hers as it’s apparently a better school.

It happened many times when my DD went to secondary school. I know someone who was reported for it but they said they lived at a family members address and the school couldn’t prove otherwise so it was just dropped.

[cabbageking]

Admissions need more than a passing thought you think there is some sculduggery. Provide the evidence you have and they will follow it up otherwise they will not. If you have no evidence then it is malicious gossip

[NoIDontWatchLoveIsland]

Report.

Its rife in loads of areas, it takes the place from another child so no, it's not a victimless crime. Schools do not have the resource to investigate and spot it. A report does no harm, personal details like an ECHP or care status won't be publicised and if they deserve the place they will easily be able to evidence that for the simple admin check.

[Daphnise]

Watch "A Lady of Letters" by Alan Bennett, OP and see the result of reporting things you know nothing about....

[StarsShineBrightly]

This could well be us. We would not have got in on distance criteria, but there are exceptional circumstances that the school are aware of and offered a place on that basis. Close friends are aware, but not others so they may make the assumption we've been fraudulent somewhere. Also to PP, Yes we did know before, but didn't announce to anyone outside of close friends as it isn't really anyone else's business.

If you know for definite then I'd consider reporting, but if it's just gossip/ idle speculation, leave well alone.

[NoIDontWatchLoveIsland]

Oh god I’d leave well alone! Here (bucks) you have to provide proof of address..

I live in bucks and plenty of the wealthy locals dodge this by renting near schools short term and lie on paperwork.

[Wondermule]

@toocold54

Usually I would have said mind your own business but my niece didn’t get a place in September at the secondary closest to hers which is just under a mile away and has to go to one almost 12miles away and there are children who travel from further away to go to the one closest to hers as it’s apparently a better school.

It happened many times when my DD went to secondary school. I know someone who was reported for it but they said they lived at a family members address and the school couldn’t prove otherwise so it was just dropped.

Yep, everyone says MYOB when the cheating suits them, but when it doesn’t it’s REPORT REPORT REPORT

[GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing]

I came on to say I probably wouldn’t bother - I’m not much for reporting things that don’t affect me. But reading the pps I’m kind of convinced that you should! It’s a good point that it takes the place from another child, who might then by travelling some distance.

[cantkeepawayforever]

I would see this less as 'reporting' and more as 'passing on information and letting whoever you pass it on to evaluate it'.

As a teacher, i frequently pass on information that MAY be important but may not, as part of my ongoing safeguarding duty. I don't worry about 'Am I sure?', I don't worry about 'live and let live', iI don't think 'well, they are probably just doing the best for their children' - I collect the information I have, put it on their relevant form, and pass it on to the person in a position to make a judgement.

Same when I see possible criminal or dangerous behaviour - the care weaving down the motorway, the car going through traffic lights with a child on the passenger's knee, the slightly dubious caller. I just pass the information on, and don't fuss.

It;'s not for the OP to make a decision about fault. She has some information that may be relevant, and someone to pass it on to. An e-mail or web form is probably available - use that, send the information in a factual form and get on with life.

[malteasergeezer]

I would 100% report. It's wrong on so many levels!

[NotExactlyHappyToHelp]

Is it a faith school? My DS’s secondary takes children who practice that faith above all catchment area children. It bumps them to practically the top of the list after looked after children and ones with an ECHP.