Is this admission fraud? AIBU to report it?

[grammarmom]

Here's the situation.

We live in a grammar school catchment area that gets smaller every year. When we bought our house several years ago, it was very comfortably within the catchment for an excellent local grammar (very high in the league tables), and oh boy was it reflected in the price. Now we're right on the boundary. Among the thirty or so houses around us, some children got in last year and some didn't, literally a difference of a few yards.

Another child on our street, who is in the same class as my DC, only just passed the 11+ (a few points above the pass threshold). We live on the same road, but they are about 50 yards further from the school gate. Based on last year's distances, my child would likely get a place while theirs wouldn't.

Over the weekend, during a sleepover, the child mentioned that her mother has now rented a house much closer to the school to secure a higher priority for admission. The tenancy was apparently signed one day before the cut-off date, making it "legal" for admission purposes. She still owns their original home, but the story being presented is that relatives who were previously "homeless" will now live there free of charge, and all bills and utilities have been transferred into those relatives' names (I strongly suspect that the mother will in fact pay these bills as those relatives are penniless).

She's even moved the children's belongings to the rented property and makes them spend nights there (they hate it). There's no doubt that once the school place is obtained, they will move right back.

This effectively pushes my child down the priority list and means they may now miss out.

Would this constitute admissions fraud? It feels incredibly unfair that someone with £40k to spare for rent can effectively buy their way into a top grammar school, especially when their child didn't perform particularly well in the exam (despite being tutored for hours every day).

Should I report this? I have no more detail apart from what this child told me (and they obviously weren't too sure about some aspects of it due to age).

Wouldn’t an independent school be more cost effective?

How do you think this is any fairer than what she is doing? Blame the game, not the players.

School places aren’t rightfully anyone’s. You need to stop thinking that your children is more deserving than hers. He isn’t. You lost my sympathy when you talked about his score on the 11+. If he passed he passed, and you have said that the school considers all passes equally when allocating places.

100 this
Do not write your kids off !
Do not underestimate the impact of high expectations and parental contribution !
I know kids who have followed high achieving older siblings into academic schools and they have not fitted the expectations / crumbled!

You have to have either disposed of your own property or it has to be a situation where you can’t possibly travel back e.g. you’ve moved 100 miles away.

really?? Can you reference this? Sounds absurd!

You’re getting angry about something that probably won’t even happen.

The most likely outcome is either that a) DS and his friend are both within the catchment area and get in, or b) both end up outside the catchment area and go elsewhere.

What’s the point of getting so worked up about a hypothetical scenario that probably won’t happen?

No. Grammar schools are inherently unfair. Which is the whole point of them

See this is what I don't get.

It's apparently okay to buy an overpriced house in good catchment areas. This driving up house prices artificially.

It's apparently okay to cheat the system by gaming it as the OP describes.

All on the altar of a parent doing their best for their children.

Yet people who are actually HONEST about doing the best for their children by paying for a private school that meets their childrens' needs... that's despicable. That's immoral. That deserves censure.

Hypocrisy much?

I'd report it, 100%.

This.

It's no more morally questionable than paying a premium to buy a house near the school to begin with.

Excellent question, isn't it?

How does it make any sense to spend around £40K a year on rent and bills for a house next to the school when a perfectly good local private option is about £25K?

If that isn't proof she has no intention of actually living there, I really don't know what is.

Oh absolutely. The friendship is over after this

I really hope that’s not the case. What a shame to not let best friends see each other because you are angry with the child’s mother.

but surely the 11+ pass mark is the main thing that determines the priority ranking? I guess it depends on the area, but where I live, that’s how it works. Did your child get the same marks?

I am really surprised that so many people on this thread don't consider schools when they buy a family home.
Do you really just take pot luck?

Most people I know would be aware of schools in their local area and try to buy as close to a good one as they can. So I am with OP on that one.

I'm in a grammar area and allocation is just done on scores, not catchment. Not fair on the decent kids near the school who are outscored by people from other counties but it is what it is.

For the very sought after comprehensive school in my area, you are not allowed to own a property and rent a different property within the catchment, the address of the owned property would be taken.

Exactly. And lots of parents (most?) don't get a sniff of a 'top grammar school'.

I would and did report this and the place was removed. It didn’t affect my child but it affected someone. You have no idea who they have pushed out and it’s likely to be against the LEA’s policy

Action might be taken.

In Scotland, schools come under the purview of the local council education authority.

There was a spate of parents from Fife trying this ruse in order to get their children into a high school in the adjoining Local Authority. I believe that the other authority now looks for council tax statements etc if the child did not attend a feeder primary for that high school.

Maybe the grammar school is more than 'perfectly good'? She's entitled to want more than perfectly good for her child and do what she can within the rules (if this doesn't count as fraud, it seems to depend on the area) to make it happen.

The only thing unfair about this is that there will be children far more capable than yours who have absolutely no prospect of going to this school and will instead be going to the ‘crap’ school simply because their parents can’t afford to secure them a place .
As others have said , you both played a game and she played it better .
If it wasn’t your child that could possibly lose a place would you even be bothered ?
The school decides who’s academically capable …. Not you. So the child had to put in a lot of extra time and work to pass , that’s a credit to him not something that should be criticised.
I hope you don’t destroy the children’s friendship over this. You truly sound like a bitter, horrible person.

OP has gone to more effort than moving within an Essex/Hertfordshire town area, she moved country, there has been a massive investment, that she thinks didn't pay off.

I would just ignore the other family for poor morals and get on with life.

Someone explained to me that for some cultures, losing out is far more painful than it is for others, along with having to explain, to people back home. Even weird things like time is a whole different world view apparently, this was explained to help understand the Tory leaders behaviour.

So some schools and councils will consider this as fraud. Many do unannounced spot checks and home visits to ascertain that a family are truly living at the address. Your reaction is correct in that others will feel the same ‘unfairness’ (not getting into a discussion on overall fairness of tight catchment and entry tests etc). I’d also imagine that youre not the only person to spot this. It’s up to you. There probably is something there that the school will not be happy with and you make the decision whether you can a) make a complaint, b) live with the consequences that you may or may not deprive that child of a place and c) not feel bitter that this mothers actions may or may not deprive your child of a space. If you do report, do it anonymously and fgs don’t tell anyone! If both get into the school you will have years of dealing with this situation.

Never occurred to me to consider the schools given an excellent school can so easily slip into dire straits within the space of a year and vice versa.

Ive seen so many friends and colleagues get so wound up about this its insane to me. One did buy a ridiculously priced house to be near an excellent school only for it to announce it was closing 3 years later and her kid ended up at my DC school which was, oh let me see, "a crap hole in a sink estate, no offence."

None taken babe, not my kid that ended up going off the rails because they didnt live up to your expectations and you couldnt keep up with the pretense of a lavish lifestyle thanks to your giant mortgage 🤣

It's another world on here at times...

What a close and healthy friendship the two of you had

💯 this.

Absolutely horrible. The whole set up is unfair. But that’s fine as long as her little darling gets in.

My child went to a grammar. A super selective one. I am under no illusion at to the fairness or otherwise of the whole process .

I would never have taken my bitterness out on a 10 year old child