Reporting someone for admissions fraud

[LaTristesseDureraEntre]

NC for this.

I've reported someone for admissions fraud/ giving a false address. Someone in my social circle. They've used their old home address for school applications, but that home is now a holiday let (they still own it) and they've moved down the road to a cheaper area. I sent the LA some info and will let them draw their own conclusions. I did it partly because it affects me/my family (in the obvious way - child in the same school year, tight catchment for desirable school). But tbh I find their behaviour awful so I imagine I'd have been minded to do it anyway.

AIBU? I know on MN the normal response is "keep your beak out" but, really, would you have kept quiet?

And no, before anyone starts, no “Ooh maybe child has special needs / husband is polygamous / there’s a special underground tunnel linking the two properties so that they are in fact one”. Just pure old address fakery. WIBU?

My dds didn't go to a local primary school as the one we wanted was over subscribed ( ironically at least 2 places went to a family who did the whole church then bye bye thing) and the other local one was under threat if closure due to spending so long in Sm.

Despite picking the school fir the secind round as it was one of 2 that had spaces it had a massive impact on my life.

It would have been horrific if this had been given to me against my will.

I had to get 8 buses a day to get there and back increasing to 10 when dd2 started pre school..11 when working.

No local friends

Difficult to do after school clubs.

No being able to let them walk to school with friends.

Early starts due to trips meant a ridiculous Early start at home.

Even when I started driving the hours I have spent stuck in traffic going 4 miles down the road and it taking anywhere from 15 mins to in one case over 2 hours.

There are few jobs 10-2 term time only. So for over 10 years I have been stuck doing this. Sacrificing my evenings with the kids by working hours that entire I can do school runs.

Luckily I for thr most part was in a position to do this.

If I wasn't I'd have been fucked for 10 years if this situation was put upon me through no fault of my own because someone lied on a form.

That is what u r putting on a child and a whole family by keeping hour mouth shut aviut fraud.

@sunshineforest

I did this a year or so ago. Parent completely open about what they were doing - renting their house out and renting within catchment of a hugely oversubscribed secondary school.

School said they had received my email. Nothing happened.

My DS bumped into theirs and asked where they had been. Child said they had moved so he could get into the school they wanted.

I can't understand how they got away with it

But anyway, obviously I think you're doing the right thing.

@sunshineforest

If they were living in catchment, temporarily, then I expect they were entitled to enrol their child at the school for that catchment. And once you're in a school, you're entitled to stay there, even if you move out of catchment. It's sneaky, and I'm sure school weren't happy about it, but nothing they could do

@notanothertakeaway some areas now explicitly prohibit this, ie if you own one house and rent another your address will be deemed to be the former rather than the latter without some very clear evidence of why. Though you still have people finding they suddenly need to separate from their spouse and “move into” a one-bed flat next to a nice school etc.

No I wouldn't have. Catchment areas can be outdated and often thats why schools dont give them priority anymore.

But schools don't decide the LA does.

Amd catchment is still near the top of the admissions criteria list. Trumped only by LAC and kids with SNs . That's remained the same. What changed was the sibling rul which git bumped down ti ensure schools admitted their catchment kids over siblings miles away

My immediate response you are not being unreasonable
But

Good friend
Did live in the catchment area property until recently
Still owns it
Only moved up the road
Letting it out as a holiday let ie no child will be taking a place at the school
So on the basis of above

I wouldn’t report

Good friend

Eh?

@Willyoujustbequiet

No I wouldn't have. Catchment areas can be outdated and often thats why schools dont give them priority anymore.

Catchment areas can make the difference between children having a "local" school and no school in some areas. In ours it means the village 5 miles away with a dedicated bus is included for a Secondary school over children a mile away who have other schools within walking distance. Its extremely fair for them.

But for most areas "catchment" is just a colloquial term for Children nearest the School.

Oh sorry
Ok not a good friend

But still
On basis of what I’ve listed
No

Mainly because no child in the holiday let will ever be taking a place

I am really amused by all of the 'trust no-one - they're all snakes' posts. How about maybe don't commit fraud?

One might further observe that by keeping the starter flat as a holiday let they have kept an affordable home off the sale or rental market which could have allowed another local family to remain in the area.

A child was removed from one of my DS's classes in year 1 when it was discovered the address given was his grandparents. So after over a year at school settling in and making friends he had to move to a school where he actually lived. Parents need to understand the risk they take when providing false information.

Do you have a partner?
Out of interest, what do they think?

They were a bit daft

Loads of people around here move a week or so after their child starts at the school

We did!

@RockingMyFiftiesNot

A child was removed from one of my DS's classes in year 1 when it was discovered the address given was his grandparents. So after over a year at school settling in and making friends he had to move to a school where he actually lived. Parents need to understand the risk they take when providing false information.

Exactly. I couldn’t sleep at night if I’d tried something like this. How can anyone put their child in that position?! And in any case, all the parents will know and will judge you for it. I’m reception you pretty much know quite quickly where the kids live, from parties and play dates etc. I would steer well clear of parents who had clearly committed fraud to get their kids into the school as who knows what other stuff they pull with no regard for other people?

@Ericthesnail

Sorry to keep asking questions but you seem to be the only genuine expert on here.

My borough has a very brutal catchment usurping sibling rule even if there is an older sibling is in the school.

Has the borough put this rule in as there was evidence in the past where people would rent / buy a flat/small house next to a desirable school for their first child, then move out to a bigger property further out before their younger children start school?

@Pipsquiggle

For our school it was, In order of priority

Children in care, looked after
Siblings
Catchment area

I'm not in the school place position now but I think this sort of practice needs to become unacceptable

Yes, I understand it must be difficult to make the decision to report but I don't agree with people lying to cheat the system in the first place

By catchment area do people mean those that live closest to the school the way the eagle flies?

I love how big companies paying what is due is so utterly wrong but people pulling stuff like this is acceptable.

They don't live in catchment. Therefore their child goes elsewhere. It's not a difficult concept.

Good on you OP.

@OnceuponaRainbow18

By catchment area do people mean those that live closest to the school the way the eagle flies?

Ours is

(Thought the expression was “as the crow flies”!)

There’s no catchment
It’s distance

At least at our school it was
And I thought same with OP

@OnceuponaRainbow18 in some (rare) places catchment is a defined area. In most though it means “closest to the school”, afaik.

Surely it cuts down the congestion in cars to some extent if people live nearby and isn't that what the government are aiming for

[quote LaTristesseDureraEntre]@OnceuponaRainbow18 in some (rare) places catchment is a defined area. In most though it means “closest to the school”, afaik.[/quote]
It’s not rare, it’s just not the norm in London. Much of the country has defined catchments.

Thanks thanks