stop me doing something crazy!

[retiller]

I found out today that my DC has slipped down the waiting list for school in September. We are 4th now. I have a DC at this school already who will still be there next academic year.
I am seriously considering renting a property close to the school. I would then go to the top of the waiting list (proximity AND sibling). Not only is this ridiculous behaviour(!) as we own our home, prohibitively expensive and probably bordering on the insane but how could i explain this to the children?
I can't do this. Can i?

its extreme but you can do this. However you would need to be living in it - renting and living in your current house won't work and is reason enough for them to refuse any offer. Someone is bound to tell on you too as word always gets out! If you rent yours out and rent a new one that would work but think you'd have to be there til at least your child starts in September for it to look legit! If your DC doesn't get in do you have another school in mind? Can that school accept both if you have to accept a place and if you felt it okay to move the eldest? May depend on your area - is it easy to rent out your and another?

4th is pretty good though still, isn't it? How big is the intake? Presumably there's still plenty of scope for people to move house/change their minds etc. There's always some movement.

Re the crazy renting plan - that's not going to suddenly free up a place if they're full on proximity and siblings already, is it? Just because you suddenly live closer doesn't mean they can accept one more child - it might only be the difference between 4th and 3rd.

Don't give up hope re this school but you do need to focus on a Plan B.

Thanks for your replies. I'm truly thankful for some friendly words on such a depressing day.
They are bound to find out why i did it but i'm sitting here imagining my face plastered on the front of the local paper being vocal about the ridiculous admissions critieria here (where siblings are counted after catchment), and everyone agreeing and understanding why i did such a bonkers thing.
I couldn't consider moving DC1 as he is so happy. Why alter both their lives, is how i look at it.
As for the position, 4th isn't bad and i am aware of at least 3 places that will become available but until i have that phone call offering me a place it is worth nothing. If someone moves into the area they go ahead of me. If someone wakes up from a drug induced coma and realises they didn't fill their form in? They go ahead of me. it is a waiting game over which i have no control. I'm thinking that i must be a control freak by how much this is eating away at me.
If i moved into catchment then i would be the only one who had a sibling in the school so would be numero uno and my evil plan might just work...

i feel for you are this is likely to be me next year as my DD school takes catchment before siblings and this year lots got separated so we are just considering whether to move before next year. I understand why as its a faith school but still unfair!

to be fair it doesn't matter if they find out as you are living there so as much as it would look bad i presume its cheating properly - the only problem is if you rent but dont live there. You will prob still get in though as in my LEA (Lancs) not everyone has accepted/rejected places yet and so there may still be lots of movement to come as people appeal etc

your plan has absolutely no chance of success. It will stand out so like a sore thumb as being someone desperately trying to get a school place to the LA, that there is no possibility of success. Forget it and concentrate on what might happen and that means thinking about plan b if your do not get a place of the waiting list.

Yep, I realised what a pathetic option it was. I won't do it; I was just in a maelstrom due to DC slipping down the list.
However, why would i not be desperate? And plan B? Arghhhhh, plan B...
I am a teacher, but home schooling was not part of the plan.