Have you ever RENTED a PROPERTY in the CATCHMENT area of a GOOD SCHOOL???????

[drosophila]

have you known anyone who has? I popped into an estate agent yeaterday close to a good secondary and primary school. In chatting he said that they get several people who rent property in the catchment area that never live there just to get into the good school. I wondered how common this is.

Not quite the same but my neighbours have bought a second home - ie the house next door to us for that reason. They love their other house & town but prefer our local school. They live here during the week.

NO i HAVEN'T considered DOING that

I wonder how common it is. I suspect not many would admit to it but what a crazy system that makes people consider doing crazy things.

We did. Our lease was up in one house so we ringed the catchment area of two reasonably good North London secondary schools and told the estate agents to find us a house/ flat within the circle. We weren't "living in two properties" as some people do, but since we had the opportunity to move, we decided to make the most of it. We had been living in an area where not one of the secondary schools had a GSCE pass rate above 45%.

There is a very good primary near the house that we have now purchased and I do know that people pay silly money to rent opposite it. Don't see the point of that in an area where none of the primary schools are bad, or even "average"...

Friend of a friend did. Although I think for a while they did try to sell their property but ultimately moved back.

This used to happen near us - there is a school about a mile away (but which falls into a different borough) which is wildly popular. A huge development was built next door to the school and people started renting flats there. Now the Local Authority not only demand proof of residence (and sometimes knock on doors) they also demand proof that you have cancelled the utilities at your previous address and evidence of when you did it. Crazy stuff.

know of a few people who've done it in our town.Think they have eventually moved here though.

No but I know of people who use their grandparents addresses

Happens an awful lot around here! The senior schools in my town are terrible! One school was recently proud that its GCSE pass rate A*-C has gone up from 17% to 20%!!! so I know of an awful lot of people who rent tiny little flats in the neighbouring town (and never live in them) from around year 5 so that the local council is aware of them living in that address for over a year prior to completing admission forms for senior school.

Its sad that they feel that they have to do this but unless drastic action is taken to improve the schools in our town I'm sure more will do this.....

Takes more than that to fool some London boroughs. I heard of cheating families being turned away on their child's first day in Reception at one oversubscribed school.
They had failed to answer the door to a personal call from the headteacher over the summer, curiously, after a couple of letters giving the call time had been sent to their "home" address.

There was a documentary about an oversubscribed school in Beckenham a while back where lots of people rent and don't live in order to gain places. The headmistress makes personal visits to check out suspect addresses along with requiring all sorts of complicated proof.
I also know of a situation whereby a family own a buy to let in the catchment of a good school but their actual home is elsewhere. Bit of a problem if the school gets two sets of surnames from the same address!

I know someone who did this to try and keep sibs together - but it didn't work - that school was just too over-subscribed.

No and personally wouldnt. Its not fair on people who genuinely live in the catchment area and should have the right to attend their local school.

I own a flat very close to a top performing primary that people fight to get into. The flat is not suitbae for a family - and we have only ever rented it to couples,or sharers. Once when it was between lets I had a call from a woman who wanted to rent it but not live in it, as she had a house in the ame borough, but no close enoug to get her child inot that school. She tried to convince me that it would be good for me as there would be no wear and tear on the flat and so she should have a reduced rent . I was amazed she was so blatant.
She was very offended when I said that I did not want ot enter into a contractual arrangement with a dishonest person...