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Original poster

moving temporarily to get into a school

34 replies

testbunny · 24/07/2010 12:57

my son is due to start reception next year. a friend has a house quite near to a really good school and has said that we could rent it from her for 6 months to improve his chances of getting into the school.

i know that schools are cracking down on this sort of thing but is it actually illegal / wrong if we were to live there legitimally, is there a period of time we would have to live there?, and would the school chuck him out if they found out??

initially we thought no but we want to know exactly what the rules are

thanks!

OP posts:

TheBestAManCanGet · 24/07/2010 12:59

But what if a child who does live in catchment loses their place to someone like you cheating the system? I could not live withmyself if I did that and it is an awful example to set a child.

purpleturtle · 24/07/2010 13:01

animula · 24/07/2010 13:03

Hello testbunny.

Your situation sounds awfully similar to this one. Are you the friend?

Anyway, I think you'll find all the info you want on that thread.

LIZS · 24/07/2010 13:10

You could have any offer of a place removed unless you live there long term, 6 motnhs would n't be long enough to apply, receive the offer and start - normally you need ot prove you live there with a council tax bill, utilities, local gp etc and some areas spot check at no notice to look for evidence of you really living there. You may find if places are competitive other "friends" shop you especially if they lose out.

Original poster

testbunny · 24/07/2010 13:12

admittedly although tempting (who wouldnt want their child to go to a great school!) we wont be doing it.

but playing devil's advocate there are parents with children at the school who attended church will the sole purpose of getting their children in (they suceeded!). is that also cheating the system? if so there are loads of them around here!

OP posts:

thephoenix · 24/07/2010 13:27

Realises not in AIBU

Original poster

testbunny · 24/07/2010 13:37

thanks animula for the link to that thread. crikey! it seems it is a very 'grey' area. whilst not illegal renting for a short period of time is frowned upon and there is a risk of a child being thrown out. not worth the stress.

its a shame that good schools are thin on the ground

i love that thephoenix. i was feeling bored today anyway!

OP posts:

JGBMum · 24/07/2010 17:06

thephoenix welcome (back)

thephoenix · 24/07/2010 18:19

real life was getting boring

JGBMum · 24/07/2010 18:21

Hmmm, are you sure you're not being a little bit unreasonable there

thephoenix · 24/07/2010 18:22

JGBMum · 24/07/2010 18:29

Sorry, not stalking honest!

Thought you had a very rough time earlier and was hoping you would reappear.
Name seems very apt

thephoenix · 24/07/2010 18:53

Thanks JGBMum, really missed some of my friends on here and decided not to let a few loons put me off. I'm growing into my new name

Vallhala · 24/07/2010 21:29

Testbunny, I have no idea of the legalities and so no advice to offer. I can only wish you every bit of good luck possible and say that if I were in your shoes I'd takr the friend up on the offer... and sod what other people say!

BeenBeta · 24/07/2010 21:41

Some schools now insist that children are removed if the parents move out of the area.

They know people are doing this.

Exogenesis · 24/07/2010 21:49

As a parent you has a child not getting into ANY of the local schools I would say Please please Don't do it. I have lived here for 4 years and got turned down for all the local schools partly because of people renting closer to the schools.

The place DD was offered is completly unsutible for her and now I have to move myself out of the area I and my DD have grown up in just so she can go to a school that doe's not put her life at risk.

Its the worst thing I have had to deal with as a parent and I would ask you to think about those people not lucky enough to be able to do the same.

coppertop · 24/07/2010 21:51

In our area you have to inform the Admissions team if you move house between the offer being made and your child actually starting at the school. They may then withdraw the offer and give you a place elsewhere. A 6mth tenancy wouldn't be long enough to be able to apply and still be there the following September.

This is an area where the vast majority of people get an offer at one of their three choices, so I imagine it would be more strictly enforced in a more competitive area

Original poster

testbunny · 25/07/2010 12:27

we wouldnt be moving out of the catchment area just closer to the school (btw the surrounding area close to the school is very wealthy - i would have loved to have bought a 5 bedroom house close there!).

it does seem a bit unfair though as if i were a millionaire i would be able to buy a house near the school which wouldnt be deemed as 'cheating the system'!

it is extremely competitive to get into the school so wouldnt be worth taking the risk on renting. far too stressful.

you never know i might win the premium bonds and be able to afford that mansion....

OP posts:

Elllie · 27/07/2010 19:53

Why not sell a kidney like we just had to do??? Only joking
But seriously, although it is tempting (we considered something like this too) if the area is competitive, someone would find you out. Would you ever be able to relax knowing what you had done? I'm sure it goes on, but do you want to be that sort of person?

Original poster

testbunny · 29/07/2010 19:47

i certainly wouldnt be able to relax
and dont want the stress so no we are not doing it.

however i'm not that worried about being 'that sort of person' as plenty of mums i know went to chruch for a few years (even cleaned the priests house!) to get into their prefered school. somehow that seems to be more of an acceptable way of playing the system!

OP posts:

ReasonableDoubt · 29/07/2010 19:50

Yes, it's wrong and if the school find out you have done that, even after the six months is up, your child could lose his place at the school. And people will probably find out and talk.

I wouldn't risk the chance of such disruption, embarrassment and shame for my child if it all went wrong.

BoffinMum · 01/08/2010 12:01

I have a slightly different view from the other posters. I don't think this can be regarded as illegal in any way if it is a proper assured shorthold tenancy and you have an appropriately witnessed contract, pay a market level of rent and so on, and live there between March and October of the year you want your child to start the school.

I will not comment here on the morality of what you want to do except to say that I think parents are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea on admissions. There is a clear conflict between marketised choice policies and local authority educational planning processes, which does our children no favours.

BoffinMum · 01/08/2010 12:05

Taking my educationalist hat off for a minute, and putting my fellow mum one on, I would add that there could be legitimate grounds for a move of this nature, for example if your house had flooded or had underpinning problems and needed extensive repairs, so that might - ahem - provide a good reason to other parents for the move later on.

ampere · 03/08/2010 12:59

Boffin is correct on the legalities, as far as I can see. I wouldn't like to comment on the morality however!

We bought into the catchment of our desired school (more or less did cost a kidney!) so I used 'selection by house price'. We will be staying purely cos we want the DSs to have their school mates 'next door'.

I hadn't actually heard of ANYONE having their DCs booted out of a school, once legitimately in if the parents then move.

Does that really happen?

Imho, it should, at the end of that particular key stage, so as to free up a place at that school for the DCs of the people who move into your old house.

oldmum42 · 03/08/2010 14:48

what BOFFIN said.

Situation is different in Scotland, partly due to lower pop densities. In Scotland, a school is obliged to grant a place to someone outside the catchment, if a place is available (though they can reserve a few places for new pupils moving into the catchment), but they can refuse to do this if extra staff would need to be employed (for a special needs child for example). Over-subscription is mostly a problem in the cities, not rural areas.

After problems (serious) at our catchment area Primary, we requested and got places in the school at the next village along the coast. We subsequently moved into the catchment of that school.
The ENTIRE reason we live in the rural area, and not the nearby city (since the DC's were pre-school, and despite much higher house prices), was to get into the catchment area of the very good secondary school (one of the best state secondary in Scotland). BUT KNOW WHAT????? We found the school it's self is pretty rubbish/average at best. We have formed the opinion that the schools results come from the "social drift" of middle class parents into the school. They are willing to pay a lot for books and tutoring that the school can't provide, and that massively increases the schools exam results (yes, I am one of those parents ).

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