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?

In that situation I probably wouldn't tell him no, but I would be happy for the police and any relevant agencies to know it was me, and I would make sure to reach Out to the victim and let her know her options to leave and for support. And if he did find out it was me I would stand by that decision, and I wouldn't be nice to his face ever again if I saw him abuse somebody. I wouldn't be sly behind his back and nice to his face.

Well done OP, as PP said it’s not victimless fraud. If they wanted to use that address for applications they should have stayed living there.

Good for you

I’ve reported someone before

I would again

Distance in some cases trumps siblings (does in our school) so yes I’d report a false address. “Keeping out of it” can lead to parents having kids in separate schools
Near me they all prioritise distance so everyone lying about living closer hoes above a sibling

I have had to report abuse and violence in my life, and I knew the risk of that. I believed it to be my civic duty and my duty as a human being. I wouldn't report for admissions or for benefits or anything like that. I would to protect vulnerable people who can't protect themselves.

@XelaM

You sound like a horrible person with too much time on their hands

Oooh, did you commit fraud to get your child into a school?

Well done OP. You've done the right thing. I wouldn't snitch on my neighbour if I heard they were doing this for example, but someone you know very well whose actions may prevent your child from getting in the school? I'd have done the same thing under the same circumstances.

I wouldn’t have reported it but I would want to and would hope someone else would 🤣 so fair shout to you

Yanbu. Problems 20 years ago with my kids. It was rife. Luckily mine got one of our choices (had to appeal though)

Also when people do this it disproportionately benefits richer/more privileged families, and prevents more children from poorer lower class families from accessing good state schools.

I live in a village just outside the catchement of one of the best state secondary schools in the country. People who live here - doctors, solicitors, academics, accountants. People are magistrates, on boards of charities, etc - sp middle class professional and respectable on the surface. When their kid is coming up to secondary school, they rent a house in the town, furnish it and "live there" - ie one parent sleeps there several times a week to make it look like they live there. When their kid is accepted into the school and starts there, they "move house" back to their family home outside the catchment.

And people wonder why the kids at this school are all well-to-do and middle class!

Yanbu

The address used is where the child lives during term time.
In 50/50 care cases it's where the child lives most during the school week. If that is 50/50 then I assume it's a job for the courts if the parents don't agree.

It is quite astonishing that parents who do this decide to boast about it/tell others.

Surely if you know you are gaming the system or that people will think you are, you keep quiet.

The LA may insist on using their old address for admissions, especially if they only moved after the admissions deadline. That was the case in our London LA when we moved from our owned house into a rented property. We were not allowed to use our new address as we still owned our previous house, and they insisted on using the old address for allocation. It's because most families trying to gain an admissions advantage do so by moving temporarily from their own (usually family size) house into a smaller flat for a year just to meet the distance criteria, then they move back once the child has started achool. In our case we moved from a 2 bed flat into a 3 bed house as we needed the space, and we'd moved all our furniture and belongings out, but it made no difference to the LA policy. In the end it worked out for us as we got a place in an outstanding primary.

* did it partly because it affects me/my family (in the obvious way - child in the same school year, tight catchment for desirable school)*

“Partly”

Own it OP.

I don’t think you’re being unreasonable but own it

@XelaM

Message deleted by MNHQ.

Why is it "horrible" to report people for exploiting the system and denying another local child a place whose parents didn't lie and cheat their way in?

YANBU. The system is designed so people have a good chance of a local school. Cheats can create a chain reaction of displacement.

I don't think that one of the possible outcomes is for the child to be chucked out of the school once it's started there.

The absolute hypocrisy of @XelaM

On a thread from an OP wanting children hit her DH not, this was @XelaM ‘s contribution…

* It's completely immoral and I will get flamed for this, but in your position I would "honey trap" him.*

I think the people who say that they would report the fraud only if their own child was affected are being very selfish and almost as bad as the
fraudster. If it’s wrong (which it is) it’s wrong.

YANBU. We're currently waiting for secondary allocations and are worried about not getting a place at any of the high schools in our town, let alone our first choice. I'd have done the same in your situation.

You did the right thing

Absolutely report - another family will miss out on their school place because of this, maybe even have kids at different schools. It's awful behaviour, although I do understand the motivation - we all want equality of opportunity until it comes to our own DC, whom we love and obviously want them to get the best out of life. I'd not commit fraud to get it though!

I would report this even if it didn't directly affect me.
I work in fraud in a different area and anonymous tip-offs are our bread and butter. I disagree with the person who said you should only do it if you're willing to admit it. There are so many reasons not to do that, that's why Crimestoppers exists.

Totally agree with you doing it. My dc were never in the position, but I've know several children who didn't get into the school due to people doing this.
It was always the quiet shy children who would have benefited for going to the school with all their friends who missed out too.

What people don't seem to recognise is that for every child who fraudulently gets in, there is a child who is cheated of that space.

I would have turned a blind eye for a friend.

I couldn’t look a friend in the eye and lie by omission when they talked about it.