Temporarily moving for Primary admissions

[Humdingledom]

So I know lots of people do this but can’t help but think it’s really fucking cheeky

We are lucky enough to live in the catchment of the most oversubscribed school in the city. The family of DCs friend at school left their house they own and rented very close to the school so their DC got a guaranteed place at the primary school, and now DC has been there a term they are moving back to the house the own in a different area. There are easily 5 primary schools between here and where they live, with some
of them also “Outstanding” but ours does have a certain reputation.

I know other families temporarily moved in with the grandparents to be closer in the catchment and have now moved back outside the area or are planning to.

Like I said I know lots do it but it’s very annoying when friends that actually live on the catchment border missed out for places at the school when they had the option of two schools.

Let’s be clear I’m definitely not being snobby, I think it’s actually really rude of people who have luxury of moving temporarily when there’s people closer who maybe can’t afford to do that missing out!

It's surely not illegal if it is actually their primary residence when they apply, and when their children start at the school when they check council tax records.

Yes, this. I presume they checked how long they had to live in the other address. You would guess that if they were going to play this game, they would bother to play it properly!

It's crazy - my BIL/SIL did it years ago, to get their middle child into their preferred Primary - it cost them TENS of THOUSANDS of pounds! This was in Wales; they were on the edge of the catchment area & were determined that one school 'had less chavs' than the other (raging snobs!) so, under the rules there, they had to rent another house for 6mths & actually properly move onto it & prove they were living there with household bills etc AND were visited by an Inspector, as this sort of deception was rife in the area!! It was utterly insane but they wouldn't listen to reason at all. We don't see them much! 🤣

Until the government ensures every child has access to the same, high level of education I don't blame the parents one bit.

The educational disparities of people who live in, usually, lower income areas is an embarrassment and absolute travesty.

But if it's their primary residence at the right period of time even if you report it, it wont do anything.

Anyone can move for how ever long they want and then move again. You dont know their circumstances of why they are moving and if all the rules are followed then even if you reported they cant do anything.

The things parents will do to get their kids in a school that is probably not that much better than more local ones but for its reputation!

My MIL was just like that. Ensure the kids went to the best private school. They did all the way. The eldest stopped after their mediocre A levels. The you get got kicked out and never finished.

They are both earning ok money in ok jobs, but I earn more than them having gone to under average schools. I'm not cleverer than them, was just more dedicated to studying.

All this dedication and life altering decision just put so much pressure on the kids to make it all worth it.

It's not something I would do or support, but I can't get worried about it. Firstly, if they actually move, then they do live in the area, so what's the problem?

Second, if it doesn't matter what school kids go to, why does it matter where your near border of catchment friends kids go? Why can't they just go to the other school? Or why don't you give up your place and somewhere else? You'd make a profit selling your house and moving elsewhere, if you are happy to move to a bad school zone area.

If it does matter to you, you can surely see why it is so important to others.

In my area catchment isn't the priority anyway. Continuation of the pyramid/feeder schools is.

Just as well really as we have lots of people living outside catchment who live close to the school whilst people living further away are in catchment. Its nonsensical and due to the catchment areas needing updating.

Continuation of the pyramid/feeder schools is
Which is not great either. When I lived with my partner, we couldn't get a place in our local school because the other school further away was failing and everyone out their kids in the feeder preschools to gain a place in the junior one.

This resulted in dreadful traffic as kids had to be driven due to distance.

Ironically, the 'poor' school got a new Head and turned quickly in a great school whilst the local one went downhill after their Head left!

You can live half a mile in one direction from our local secondary and not get a place, but can from five miles in the other direction.

Which is actually a lot fairer than it sounds as the catchment takes in outlying villages, which aren't near any schools, but there's another school less than a mile away.

How does that work, surely the school need their current address so the school are aware? Must be infuriating!

It’s fraudulent and illegal. I would report and the place can be taken away

@Chasingaftermidnight

It isn’t just cheeky - depending on exactly what they’ve done it’s potentially fraudulent and criminal.

I agree with this. And I'd report them - their child having a place means another child (who lives nearer) misses out as a direct consequence.

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

You can live half a mile in one direction from our local secondary and not get a place, but can from five miles in the other direction.

Which is actually a lot fairer than it sounds as the catchment takes in outlying villages, which aren't near any schools, but there's another school less than a mile away.

What on earth has that got to do with the OP?

In my borough they don't check every single address and will only investigate if reported.

You need to check the rules for your council. I don't think you can get annoyed about people doing whatever it takes to get the best school places within the rules, but if they have actually broken them, then that's a different matter. It's usually quite hard to get away with common fraudulent applications, so perhaps what they did is permissable in your area?

I know a family that rented a tiny house in the catchment of an Outstanding local school then once the DC was admitted they bought in a cheaper area with a less good school. That was always the plan - they couldn't afford to buy anywhere suitable in area A but didnt want their kids to suffer schooling wise.

Unfortunately while a good education is such a postcode lottery people will do these things. I would leave it alone.

I think it is obtaining something by deception. I'm not sure what can be done about it. Any law with penalties worth having would never be enforced.

But why should the places in the better school only benefit those who can afford the more expensive area? I don’t blame parents who do this.

Reporting them seems rather harsh to me .The child will suffer immensely if moved to another School surely .I get what you mean about unfairness ,but so much in School Admissions is unfair! As PP upthread says ,Church Schools are always oversubscribed .Many people join that Church ,get DC baptised there .Get them in and their attendance fades away. Another high achieving Grammar School in our area, had pupils from 20 miles away taken in by their parents who shared the drive in!There was a case in School in the next town where parents had done this.If I remember correctly they were fined,but their children were allowed to stay at the School

The thing about this is, isn't it really awkward when the parents come to the induction evening and get chatting to the other parents? Conversations along the lines of "Oh yes, we live on Next-door Avenue" "Oh wow! So we do we! We've never seen you before - what number do you live at?" There's no sensible answer to that.

I think a couple of the south London boroughs removed the sibling priority policy because of this.

I couldn’t stay friends with someone who did this. Somewhere there’s a kid who’s missed out on a place due to these people.

Happened to us/dd, she didn’t get a place at the local outstanding school when normally we’re in catchment. Multiple people from the very posh town 15 miles up the road rent a crummy terrace near the school. Most didn’t even move there. They’d pay a years rent, pay council tax and some utility bills and that was enough. The headmaster even told a friend at an open evening to do this. 🤷‍♀️

@RoomOfRequirement

Until the government ensures every child has access to the same, high level of education I don't blame the parents one bit.

The educational disparities of people who live in, usually, lower income areas is an embarrassment and absolute travesty.

I agree with this. The situation with schools is a great example of where we should hate the game, not the players.

While what these parents have done is questionable, but they shouldn’t have found themselves in the position where their child won’t get as good an education because of where they live in the first place.

I know some people say it takes away a place from children who love closer, but why should the child who lives closer have an advantage anyway? All children should have equal access to good schools.

It would be better all round if the parents put that time, money and energy into campaigning for improvements to their local schools. However it is understandable that they want to put their kids first.

Hello - I have NC for this as my answer will probably out me for where I work.

I work in school admissions in a London borough with some very sought after very naice middle class schools that people lie and cheat to get in to so we are vigilant with address checks - the cost of renting a place for a year can be cheaper than paying for 3 kids to attend the private schools in our area.

If OP was to report this case to us, it would fall foul of our admissions rules - we state that where a family own a property and are living in a rented property, we will calculate the admissions from the owned property - unless the family have lived away from the owned property for 3 years or more (or have never lived in it because they are landlords). We have made a few exceptions when supported with supporting evidence as to why family have been placed in this position. We will not accept, bad housing market etc as a reason. People will not realise that that they are breaking our rules (because the didn't read the admission arrangements) and will admit that they intend to buy further from the school one they have secured a place for the oldest child.

In this case as the child has been attending for a full term, it is very unlikely that the place would be withdrawn as the child has settled - but we would remove sibling priority for any subsequent siblings - thereby almost guaranteeing that they will not be offered a place if they are applying from the address they have just moved back to.

@Shelby2010 what sort of campaigning do you think would make any real difference to a crap local school? I mean, realistically speaking, it would take a LOT of money to improve some schools and that’s something that can’t be done by parents. How many parents can afford to pay for new teachers/ better training/ improved facilities?