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?

I’d report.

Does it personally affect you? Leave it!

There's a hugely over subscribed and enormously popular secondary school near me, and the fraud that goes on to get a place there is rife.

I had the most satisfying moment of schadenfreude whilst talking to a woman who had cheated the system to get her first child in there (a boy) by moving to a £3,500 per month rental property for a year, while keeping her other house out of catchment, and moving back to it once the boy had got in.

Trouble was, her second child (a girl) didn't want to go there! Oh no, she wanted to go to the all girls school out of the borough that was slightly rough round the edges but increasing in popularity among the girls and getting great results.

Unfortunately for her, she was slightly out of catchment for that child too. So if she wanted to do the same for that child, she would have to move again. And I believe that school had much stricter checks on admissions so she probably wasn't going to get away with it.

None of it affected me but I was pleased that she hadn't sorted out all 3 of her children's schooling by that one year of fraudulent renting. The school her son got a place at has a large intake from a very affluent area, but also a council estate in the intake area. She paid £42,000 to potentially take a place from one of those children. Hateful.

@lunapeace

Does it personally affect you? Leave it!

Why does fraud have to personally affect you before you can report it? The child who it does affect (the one who has missed out on the place) can't do it if they don't know about it.

Is a "crime" only wrong if it affects you personally?

I would not report. It's none of my business. I absolutely hate busy bodies and curtain twitchers too

@justamummydoingherbest

I would not report. It's none of my business. I absolutely hate busy bodies and curtain twitchers too

Do you not hate liars and cheats too?

None of my business. I'm
Not bothered.

@manymanymany

All those advocating reporting - do you disagree with people having their child baptised to get into the school of a particular denomination? If not then you're complete hypocrites! Honestly, OP mind your own business and wind your neck in.

Completely different situation. One is complying with the criteria to get into a faith school, and the other is LYING about where they live to get a place at a particular school.

If the faith schools put those criteria in place, then more fool them. They must know that many parents will comply to get their children in even if they were not religious before.

In my area the LEA does check against council tax data, primary school records etc. As others have said there may be a very good reason why the child was allocated a place. Unless they have been boasting about cheating the system I would leave it.

@Covidwedding123

Why are you such a nosey busy body?

No, it’s none for your buisness

So you think it is perfectly acceptable behaviour to rob another child of a school place ? Are those the kind of morals that you have taught your children? I can assure you that from a parents perspective I was absolutely devastated to see my 11year old crying and sobbing that she had worked so hard to pass the 11+ only to miss out on our local grammar school place by 100 metres because a handful of rich selfish parents had rented flats close to the school but they actually lived 10,15,20 miles away ! We lived in a very safe catchment area so the thought had never crossed our minds ...she eventually got to the school after a term but the disruption and anxiety was bloody intolerable and going to the ombudsman was definitely not for the light hearted!

I'm amazed all all these posts saying MYOB. Put yourself in the shoes for a moment of the child who has been denied a place at this school because someone else LIED to get their child in. Suppose that child who missed out has had a poor start in life and would really benefit from getting into this school.

Some things are everyone's business, I can't stand liars and cheats and they should be called out. I also can't stand a walk on by society where people don't have the balls to report or call out on people doing wrong.

So sorry to hear of your experience @dottiedaisee, that's bloody awful. Glad it worked out ok in the end but you should not have had all that stress.

If there is one thing I loathe its busybody snitches. They are weak people and should get a life of their own.

I dont think I’d report no.

I'd mind my own.

Definitively report.

If the family is not committing fraud, there will be no consequence.

Parents go to an awful amount of trouble and financial sacrifice to be in the right catchment, no way should we tolerate people playing the system and stealing a space.

@bendmeoverbackwards

So sorry to hear of your experience *@dottiedaisee*, that's bloody awful. Glad it worked out ok in the end but you should not have had all that stress.

Thank you ...it was truly the most stressful time for my daughter and for us . Reading this thread has really brought all the awful feelings back .This happened 15 years ago and am shocked at how much stored away anger I have . Am going off this thread now and going for a walk !!

I hate the term 'snitch' or 'tell-tale'. This is how bullies get away with it because it's ingrained in children not to tell tales. This attitude really needs to change. Wrong-doing needs calling out. Every single time.

@sneakysnoopysniper

If there is one thing I loathe its busybody snitches. They are weak people and should get a life of their own.

it's one thing I loath is selfish people with no social conscience. That's how kids end up being abused, women beaten up, people losing out on what they deserved because someone else stole it.

They usually are the first one to cry for help when they suddenly find themselves a victim and expect others to care and help then...

I work in admissions processing. Please report concerns. A request will be made for proof of residency and if supplied then that will be the end of it. Imagine if you were the parent of a child who should have received the offer of a place over someone who had submitted a fraudulent address - if there is no fraud then there is no issue.

We ask for proof of residency where we suspect an issue but we don't know about every case and we rely on people passing on information which we may need to investigate.

The Admissions Code isn't perfect, but no system would be. Someone who willingly makes a fraudulent application should be investigated and any parent who hasn't will be able to prove it.

Those who say mind your own business - would you also MYOB if you suspected a child was being hurt or abused? That's not your business either is it?

Fuck it , I’d report

MYOB. Don’t get involved, you can’t know for sure and it’s not like it’s a serious criminal offence where even a suspicion would be enough to have to raise it.

@bendmeoverbackwards I don’t think missing out on a school place is at all like child abuse actually. Very bad analogy, sorry. I could report one and not the other and feel that was ok. Ymmv.

@bendmeoverbackwards it’s a completely different situation. A child being in danger is everyone’s business. A child not getting into the school that their parent wants them into isn’t a massive deal.

I can’t stand busy bodies. MYOB.