To be annoyed a friend lied about their address on a school application to get into an oversubscribed school

[Liverpoollass2]

I've recently found out a friend has lied on their school application by using another family members address to get their child into an oversubscribed school. The school is one I would have considered but would have been unlikely to get in as its very popular. Friend lives quite far but plans to move within the next few years closer to the school so wants their child at the school now. Its just annoyed me as I know many people who didn't get a place who are more local and feels Iike friend is misusing the system. Friend was able to get a letter with their name on it at the address by signing up for a credit card/store card I believe. I know its none of my business but I just feel annoyed about it now

Same - the people in our area who lie to get in are well-off middle class people who can afford to both own their own house and also spent £3k a month in rent on a nice family house immediately opposite the school. After all, £3k x12 is a single year’s school fees if you send your child to the local indies, so overall it’s a good investment. Going to a bad comprehensive was never on the cards for these families.

The people they displace are the kids in the council estate 500 metres away. Of course the middle class people wouldn’t dream of renting there.

I have absolutely zero sympathy for people boo-hooing that they are forced to run two houses to game the system.

There will be more and more families like that, with the proposed changes for the private schools.

Better get used to it.

Yep.

I live in Dulwich, I’m very used to it! As I said, my issue is the “boo-hoo poor me, I’ve been forced to have two houses I’m the squeezed middle” routine.

And since you mention it, “boo-hoo, I could afford 2x £30k per year for twelve years to send both my sons to Dulwich College, but 2x £36k per year is unaffordable and I’ll have to slum it with poor people at Kingsdale” is also not a great look.

What does how It looks matter, looking good or not it doesn’t shift the problem in the direction you’d like

,You’ve said you are experiencing high levels of competition for state. It will increase with VAT in place.

https://mediataylor.com/labours-vat-policy-for-private-schools-will-hit-every-homeowner-and-bankrupt-local-councils/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1CRmKvvW1LjAjs65utCwq6f6KXv6W4Y31qxsQabaXicqm-kH6oyAflJIY_aem_AdylAsTx9rKJomp8SXWDyAqbQIR6SUYyuPOH0JB-GZ-2XSzLISuW7EUFK1JvcAhYoWb5weQbQoNTN0UeUwKpjnri

I’m not experiencing competition for state myself, no. My son’s in primary, lots of spaces in his year, and is five years off secondary applications.

I said I wasn’t sympathetic to people gaming the system and then whinging about it, and I don’t agree with the argument that it’s a victimless crime because they are only displacing richer people - certainly locally it is people in social housing who are being displaced, not rich people.

Yes and VAT will increase the number of parents using funds to get top state

If they get in fairly, that is up to them.

If they commit fraud and then cry about how unfair it is that they’ve had to commit fraud to get their child in ahead of council estate kids, instead of just being ushered to the front of the queue (despite living out of catchment) for being posh and therefore more deserving of a place, I don’t have any sympathy with their whining I’m afraid.

It is the fraud I have the issue with!

Well, for the first time ever, our local council have told schools that if the new family presents with a different address to what was given in the admissions process we need to pass the information on to them, and they will investigate it. 😳

Is it only fraud if a family owns a house? Renters may easily move house in that time.

A short-term rent to get a school place may also be regarded as fraud. However, a renter moving from one long-term rent to another is not fraud (although I have come across LAs trying to argue that it is).

What about six month leases, or living with family whilst trying to secure a private rental? It's difficult, getting a guarantor, having to save up to pay rent upfront. Landlord selling after six months. All not uncommon things.

There isn't a simple answer in any of these situations. The question is whether the LA reasonably believes that the application was fraudulent or deliberately misleading.

Some LA's insist on a 12 month rental agreement

Your appeal needs to be based on the fact that XYZ got into this school and they live 4.7miles away, but you only live 1.1 miles away, so they have not followed their own admission criteria when allocating places. You don't need to say anything about the fact they're lied, the school will work that out themselves. (If the grandma's street is further from the school than you this argument is would even work with her address, and would avoid dobbing her in at all).
Also check that they've got the shortest walking distance correct and haven't missed any public footpath shortcuts.

My parents used this argument for an appeal for my school place back in the day, as they knew a friend who's daughter had gotten accepted, but they lived slightly further away than we did (but in the opposite direction). LA had missed the shortcut public footpath by our house which knocked about 200m off the walking route, and meant we lived closer than she did, so we should have been accepted over her. Both of us ended up with places at the school, as her offer had been given in good faith (no lying - which I get is different to your example here), but I was rightfully entitled to it.

Do you mean all landlords need to offer 12 months in those areas?

On the topic of this, we own a home. We need a bigger one but the way the market is where we live I don't see how we will be able to move within the next few years. We don't want to come off the housing ladder as I don't think we would get back on so we wanted to explore renting a bigger place but keeping our current home for now. Only it seems this could be considered fraudulent by our local admissions authority so it has put us off doing it purely for that reason. I don't know what we'll do it in the end but it is a worry.

No, the landlord can rent for however long. They like but the renters need a min 12 month agreement.

Incidentally, we live close to a top state secondary and top state primary and many landlords near by will only offer 24 month contracts on rental properties as they don't want to constantly have tenants changing every 6-12 months.

No, the landlord can rent for however long. They like but the renters need a min 12 month agreement.

What if they don't? How do they access education? Does the LA have no responsibility to place a child if you have to take a shorter term?

That's a very good point. And I don't know:. Our area doesn't have that stipulation.

isn't that the purpose if aibu?

The LA still has to find a place for a child even if they think the application is fraudulent. They just won't use the address given by the parents in deciding the distance from school.

The worst that will happen if you rent a bigger place is that the LA will use the home you own as your address for admissions purposes.

So, if I was living with my grandparent and child for some months while trying to secure a rental, get child into a school based on this address, then finally manage to move out in the summer. Can the child start at the school they were allocated?