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).

Jesus people like you make me sick go on and report it , she will know exactly who ,

Stop being a hater! The world isn’t fair unfortunately and you see hear the lengths some parents can and will go to secure good education for their child it’s not hurting anybody. It just means they thought of and had the means to rent a property closer to the school and you didn’t!

It does hurt people though, when rental properties are used as tools to play the school system, it takes rental properties away from other people and causes a shortage of available rental homes for everyone else! Other people may need property to rent who can't afford to buy a big 5 bed house yet it's being used as a fake home and how many other parents play the same game around the UK's decent schools. It does need banning because like others have said as it discriminates against far brighter kids that don't have rich parents.

Your expectations are hardly realistic either, are you a uni student with your own 5 bed house to live in during term time! That's some extreme privilege and a real waste as it's a lot of unused rooms sat doing nothing and costing to heat. My partner was in flat shares with 2 or 3 other people in his uni days because that was all uni students could afford.

not that it’s in any way relevant but I think you’ve misunderstood- I think the PP is a parent with adult children away at uni, who return in the holidays, not a uni student herself living it up in a 5 bed house by herself!

She obviously shares your worries. She'd hardly tell you what she was doing about it , knowing you'd think of reporting her.

There’s so much misinformation on this thread - can’t people realise that admissions criteria and grammar systems can vary across the country? Only you know the criteria for your school OP.

My county sounds like yours. There’s a pass mark - actual score doesn’t come into it. There are catchments and then other policies such as sibling, looked after etc, and the tie breaker is distance. The county policy is you need to have sold, or rented out with a proper agreement, your previous home. Some of the more popular grammar schools have strengthened the policy by saying you can’t own another property within 20 miles. They do investigate. I would report if I were you - if she’s done nothing wrong then she’ll be fine.

The Mum must know she's doing something dodgy, otherwise she would have told the OP who she apparently trusts enough to care for her child overnight she had moved house in case of an emergency. (I.e basic contact details).

Tbh I am surprised these rental properties are not on a watch list as they should be able to monitor the number of children applying from the same addresses every year, yet changing.

If it were up to me, parents would be obliged to remain in those addresses for the full time that their children are on the register - if they move, they change schools at the end of the school year. It was what happened when I was a child in the 70’s. No expectation of staying at a school once you moved 5miles away, even if there was a divorce, job loss etc.

Sounds harsh, but we need to be working together/petitioning for all schools to offer the same high standard of education across all schools, NOT playing Residential Roulette with those who can afford it playing games like this and denying kids who genuinely live in catchment places at their local schools. It’s cynical and dishonest - and that is how those children will turn out, too.

Yep. Don’t believe a word of this entire scenario. Probably a journo farming content/research. All very convenient ever-evolving details to stoke responses.

Ah that explains it, was thinking that was some serious opulence for a student!

I get why you are upset and if your child does not get in then I would probably ask about it. But you need to drop the whole their child is not academic enough (in your opinion) - having had my kids pass the grammar school exam (and just finished grammar school) lots of kids were heavily tutored / some just missed the grade and then got in on appeal - it really doesn't matter when the kids are there.

Kids mature differently, thrive on different things. While both my kids passed the grammar school exam and my son in particular well passed the entry grade - my daughters friend got in on appeal. While my son is doing well and is at uni - my daughters friend ended up with AAA*A at her grammar school - she blitzed her A level results and this was from a child who was 1 point off passing the grammar school exam (and she was tutored for that before you ask).

The other thing is you mentioned that you your younger children then not getting in on sibling rule - are you sure about the sibling rule? Its very unusual for high schools to have sibling rules.

Well we don't know how long she's been there, all we know is there was a conversation about how it must be before a certain deadline. Also housing a refugee family may well be an exceptional case!

It seems to me there are two options here:

1. mum is well aware of the specific school / LA policies and manoevering to comply with the letter of them (hence filling her existing house; transferring bills etc), or

2. this is genuine and she is sharing her property with refugee family.

If she was just a chancer who didn't know the rules she would have just rented a nearby place and not bothered with the family moving in etc

You seem to be absolutely bending over backwards to try and find a way that the OP’s friend doesn’t get caught by a policy similar to the west berks one.

My reading of signing the day before the deadline was the application deadline, on grounds that if the child had moved there a year ago, OP would already know about it and not be quizzing them about the wifi at a sleepover…

You seem to be absolutely bending over backwards to try and find a way that the OP’s friend doesn’t get caught by a policy similar to the west berks one.

I don't know why you think this, or what reason I would have for doing so.

Mostly I've just been correcting misinformation people keep spreading - the idea that it's simply against the rules to rent a property without selling your existing one.

I don't know what reason you have for doing so either.

I also don't know what 'misinformation' you think ou are trying to correct. I think it's perfectly clear from my posts and others that "typically, though not in every single case" a rented property will not be counted as the child's address if the main carer continues to own a local property which they recently lived in with the child.

It's pointless to continue to engage with you, so have a good day.

I think it's perfectly clear from my posts and others that "typically, though not in every single case" a rented property will not be counted as the child's address if the main carer continues to own a local property which they recently lived in with the child.

well for a start that's not what people were claiming,
and secondly that statement isn't supported by the evidence that has been shared.
Rather, it appears that in the minority, strictest schools/ areas, admissions policies state that this may be regarded as reason to refuse a place if the move is temporary and appears to have been executed for the purpose of acquiring a school place.

⬆️ 🎯

Why would you want to report her & cause trouble or at least hassle for this Mum who wants the best for her child? You did pretty much the same thing moving to a new house in the catchment area to get your child in to the school. You really don't know the whole situation you're just going on what a child has told you. Be that person if you want to be, however, I'd never report a parent doing what they think is best or their child.

What have you decided do op?

Of course OP hasn’t done the same thing.

She may have bought a property within the catchment area but that was done quite legitimately and she’s living in that property, therefore it is her actual home and main residence.

Nor is she lying to the school/LEA about where she lives, so I fail to see how OPs actions can be likened to the parent that takes on a short term rental and claims that this is her home (and no doubt in six months to declare that she has now moved house)

No it doesn’t. If she succeeded in having that rent while having a house in the same area…I bet you it wasn’t easy to get that place. Whomever would have benefitted from this place will no problem find something else.

whomever not being able to find accommodation in this area would not have been able to secure this one.

Excepts they do go in the rental as the child says so.

I am absolutely not for lying but ultimately, it is the op that says she isn’t living there and only meddling because now she lives closer to the school.

Presumably time: private education is for life, renting a house is the duration of the rent, a much shorter time.

Thanks everyone. I reported to the admissions officer of the school in question. Hopefully they will look into it, and as many of you said - if everything is indeed legit, she doesn't have to fear anything.