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).

Yes this would be fraud where I Iive, I would 100% report.

How is it unfair? That she has more money than you? That she played the game better than you? I don't get it. You sound really angry and bitter about her doing essentially what you yourself did (just not as well). Everyone just wants the best for their child.

Given the way the child’s mother has behaved I don’t think she should think twice about this.

Not if they Really are living there.

These relatives are refugees whose visas are expiring in a year.

eh?

In what way is that?

Yes, straight line as the crow flies.

If you believe if is fraud inform the school and if it is they will deal with it.

If it isn't nothing you can do, move on and deal with your own worries about the shrinking catchment.

Don't let grown up issues affect the children's friendship (although it might not last if they end up in different schools anyway).

Surely it doesn't matter whether she needed to or not?

You bought a house to be in catchment.

She's rented a house to be in catchment.

It’s quite unusual where I live for grammar schools to have tiny catchments (London), dc take the tests from all over and the score tends to be the most important thing.

If it’s in the rules what can you do.

This! You’ve literally done what you’re complaining about.

Why do you want OPs child to have to deal with a family of psychopaths? I would ditch them.

The amount of curtain twitching and reporting that goes on. If Ann Frank was around today she wouldn't even have time to get her diary out before being reported

It is proximity, but how many spaces they have available to offer based on proximity varies by the other criteria.

Sometimes it might be 60, sometimes it might be 85, for example, so the school list fills up on with children from only 500m away in the former year and 700m away in the latter.

This woman has family moving into her home for a year. I assume she can evidence this, and she’s moving into a cheap flat for her and her kid for the durations, cheaper as they need less space. The op is just pissed she is now closer to the school.

@grammarmom does your dcs score not matter at all regarding admission?

And you know their status won’t be renewed next year how?

The war is likely over, so they can return home and help rebuild it.

Minding your own business is an underrated virtue.

Plus it’s not about the kid. OP said he barely scraped the 11+ It’s about the parents expectations of the kid which rarely ends well

Some of the answers on here are mind boggling. This one takes the biscuit. And wins the internet. Yes all Ukrainians will go home and rebuild, irrelevant of skills or physicality. They will all live on air and sleep in the streets till that’s done.

It is her business! If someone has fraudulently taken a school place and her child was next in line it’s very much her business.

You bought your home, depriving another child, otherwise you wouldn't have paid the massive premium. Pot meet kettle...

Oh absolutely. The friendship is over after this.

No there’s no point in reporting it. The child is spending nights at the rented property and therefore living at the address at the time of the application. The child’s belongings have also been moved into the property.

It is highly unfair and morally not right however there will be a lot more of this / similar happening given the raid of VAT on private schools. Parents who are able to rent for an admission and then give up the property.