To lie on the admissions form

[Ibetthatyoulookgoodon]

We are in the process of buying a house, we had our offer accepted back in April, no chain on either side so weren't cutting it fine for the January school application deadline. However, due to some delays on the vendors side (it's a probate sale and there seems to have been some admin issues relating to the will) I am not confident we will have completed by the EO Jan deadline. I have been looking at the form and it looks like you don't actually have to prove your address, you just state it. WIBU to just put the new address even if we haven't completed?

Obviously I appreciate there is a risk that the sale falls through but if that happened we'd either buy something else in the same area or rent until we found somewhere.

What do you think? (takes cover)

Check council rules, ours has a Feb deadline for changes in address. I'd also ask the school, it's not worth the risk.

I really wouldn't lie OP. I have known school places to be rescinded once children have started at the school when it became apparent that the parents were not truthful on their school application form.

I’d do it and see. Realistically if they give you the place, then take it away close to start date but you’re now in the house, you’d be top of the waiting list if you live that close….

top of the waiting list for a place to become available at the school where a place has just become available…..

We had to put in our council tax number & upload bills etc, so they presumably would not progress your application without something plausible there BUT in your situation I would upload the most convincing proof you have that the sale is progressing and will complete within days of their deadline.

I worked in admissions for many years.
The letter will go to the address you state, but much more likely to be an email.
You'll be in by national offer day in April.
Go for OP. Any questions - you ar moving and can prove you are.

They cross match with the electrol roll/council tax bill. I had to provide completion cert, would have still been in the school catchment anyway but had to prove the address, we completed in the December.

My council also requires evidence of the new address by 31st January. I find it frustrating that it's so early tbh. Places are offered on 16th April, and if it was up to me I would set a deadline for evidence of 6 weeks before ie 5th March.

It should be fine if you've exchanged contracts, and if you haven't, morally fine if you are as sure as possible that the purchase will go through.

We had this scenario when we moved.

Use your current details and put the school you'll want as first choice. In the supporting info section explain your situation. You should still put a current local school so you get a place somewhere.

It's worth noting that the birth rate is decreasing and previously over subscribed schools are not necessarily full any more. My youngest didn't get a place at our local over subscribed school as we missed the deadline with moving. We were top of list and got a place in the February. Same school now has places in all years as less kids in area to apply. So you might find this applies to your area and you get a place even if you haven't moved

A lot of the responses on here are not correct, it will very much depend on your LA. Some have an extension date if moving, some don't. In some LAs exchange of contracts is not enough - you must be resident. We are able to check council tax, request proof if we suspect false info, check early years provider and/or funding etc.

Don't lie, speak to the LA, find out what the rules are and apply accordingly. If you are caught out and have the place offered and then removed further down the line (it happens!) it can be distressing.

We have removed offers from parents who have lied in August when they have bought uniform and done transition - it isn't nice. But isn't nice for the first child refused who should have got the place. Also, if anyone in real life knows you lied, they may tell admissions - we get this a lot. It's not worth it. Speak to your admissions team, it may not be an issue depending on their arrangements.
Admissions person

Our LA apparently checks council tax to confirm addresses. A colleague of mine put down the address they were about to move to and ended up losing the place they were given when they were found out.

Not worth the risk, I would say.

Oooooooooo….Funnily enough I had heard from a solicitor that they’d recently had one come back in two weeks. I’d sort of discounted that as an anomaly though. I think (I’ve asked our solicitor to clarify) that they’ve got the code and have just made the application… so maybe all is not lost! I’ll keep everything crossed. 😊

This thread may provide further encouragement, but don't necessarily count on it - still worth checking exactly what the LA rules on admission addresses are: www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5169030-how-long-is-probate-grant-taking-currently?reply=139656274

My solicitor also said they seemed to be working a lot faster now, after I was astonished by getting my first one back in a month; my second one this year took just over two weeks.

A friend of mine hadn't even exchanged on her house and started receiving postcards from school for the new buyer's son (star of the week, positive behaviour type)...

When my friend was selling her house, she received a postcard from a local school addressed to the potential buyer commending their son on his positive behaviour, so the buyer had obviously used her address before it was officially theirs.
I'd do it if you're confident you're going to complete.

Hilarious, don't know why that's popped up and I've replied after myself 😜

I think it depends where you are. If it’s eg London or somewhere with fiercely contested places, they do check. Someone I know had a place revoked on a technicality because someone else dobbed her in to the council! It’s pretty aggressive admissioning!

But if you’re somewhere more normal, as long as you do end up living there by April, I’m sure it would probably be fine. Maybe not quite ethical, but that’s your call. And many people would do it.

Is this a primary or secondary application?

If primary - birth rates have been falling snd being oversubscribed in previous years may not mean still oversubscribed now.

There is always a second round of allocations in April/May after the acceptance deadline from the first round. Some people decide to go private, or homeschool, or move to Aberdeen, and more places are made available. If you are honest and apply without lying, then change your address once the sale has gone through, it is very likely that you will get the place you want in the second round.

It depends on how much evidence you need to supply. For school application I had to give council tax reference number and two different proof of address.

If it'd oversubscribed they will check against council tax records. That's what I was told they do here (East Sussex).

Interesting thread, we're in a similar position!
Sale agreed (offer accepted in november). So I'm thinking to apply for the new address (it's also a probate house) and hope that by the time they check we'll be in, which I imagine will be February or March, but we haven't got a completion date yet.