What would you do? Moral dilemma

[PrincessTamTam]

OK, I need some advice... I have just found out that a child in my DSs nursery who has been offered a reception place for next year on the basis of having 2 siblings attending the school already, actually won't have any siblings there in September 2012. The school is heavily over subscribed with a long waiting list.

Both the child's siblings are leaving to attend a local private prep feeder to a very competitive private secondary. I know this through a very good source, it is definite, but I am not sure they have yet informed the school that they are leaving at the end of the summer term. To be fair to them, at the time of making the application, they did not know the older child would be accepted and therefore were not expecting to definitely change schools, just that it was a possibility.

This is very common in this area and especially at this school, there is a large exodus of children at the end of year 3 and then a steady trickle up to year 6 as people panic they wont get their kids into the private secondary.

The question is do I tell anyone? My DS (or others ahead of me on the list) may well not get a place that will be taken up by this child who not only should not have got in, but who will then leave at the end of infants. I think this is wrong, but I don't really know what to do with the information as I'm not sure I want to be the kind of person who informs on people. WWYD?

Hmmm... they may be hedging their bets I suppose [sceptical] - but I still think its more likely they have not formally withdrawn them yet for obvious reasons.

However, I have given them the benefit of the doubt and drawn a line under it as it's not doing my own state of mind any good! Fingers crossed my DS gets a place at the shcool all his brothers went to... I just can't imagine taking him anywhere else! .

I don't think they are thinking of a bulge class here (though it has been discussed in the past) as it is already a 2 form entry and the site is not really big enough. They would have to give up one of the playgrounds and parents would object to this! It is very over subscribed because it's such a lovely school, but there are, AFAIK enough places in schools further away to cover those on the waiting list. We have a place at a previously failing and reopened school about three times the distance away to this one.

But hey, we have a place which is more than some people have! [shocked]

Ok, it's sneaky but I don't think there's much you can do. As others have said, one of the parents could get made redundant or other factors may come into play that mean the siblings have to stay there.

admission I thought even if you moved house in June, say, you had to inform Admissions as the basis on which you were offered a place would no longer be extant. Wouldn't the sibling criterion be similar?

Disclaimer: I'm over all this palaver these days; just wondering!

PrincessTamTam if the school are aware that most kids leave at the end of Year 3 then they should be taking steps themselves to resolve that. All I would do if I were you is to make it very clear that your child will be staying on at that school right the way through.

It seems to be that they need to change their criteria so that children within the catchment area having a higher priority. Why not find out who the governors are and mention these problems to the governors but without naming names?

It may well be that the parents have already told the school of their plans, in whch case you will be seen as a bit of a snitch. However there is no harm in questioning the school criteria if this is a longstanding problem.

@TheRhubarb

In inner London it is not uncommon for schools to find that more children leave, because parents move, than arrive. You can find a primary that is oversubscribed two form entry, and just about one form in year 6. as most school funding (and even more of it in future), follows pupil numbers this is a real problem for the schools. It would be great if there was something to be done about, but there is not. The main issue is that people have one child, and send it to their local school. Then, with reckless abandon, they either have, or decide they would like to have, a second child. They then find they cannot afford family accomodation without moving further out...

I think here, as long as you have evidence that you were in that house at that time you would be fine anytime after admission date, simply because I know what a PITA for anyone who moves after the deadline. Even when they are taking up a place at an overscubcribed school, they have to wait until one comes up where they have moved to. Wouldn't it be good if there was a free service whereby you could search and swop schools, cos it could be that child A is closest to school X but wants school Y and child B vice versa, neither will give up allocated place because they need somewhere to go, but both would be happier with the other school. Too common sense, and totally off topic.

Ah but if the majority of parents are taking their children out at the end of Year 3 to go into a private prep feeder, resulting in a mass exodus then this isn't just a case of people moving or having extra kids it is? There is a single, clear reason here why so many children end Year 3 but so few start at Year 4. It must be a nightmare for the school when organising classes, teachers etc.

Therefore personally, I would have a word with the school and tell them that you are aware this is a problem and that you are concerned that parents who live out of the catchment area, will get their child a place until Year 3 whereas there may be a few parents in the catchment area who are willing to keep their kids in the school right through, but who are missing out on their places.

If you are worried about it then raise it as an issue. You don't have to single out one family. If enough parents spoke out against this then the school may be forced to look again at their admission criteria.

In my LA the sibling has to be attending in the academic year the placement applied for commences - so at time of application sibling must be yr 5 or lower. The Infants and juniors are on one site (separate schools) and the sibling rule counts for either school - eg you'll get sibling space even if the sibling will be/ is in juniors. Our admission rules are sibling and catchment, catchment, sibling and out of catchment, out of catchment.

You can put your DS on the waiting list for that school and if as you say there is a lot of leavers then he should get a place eventually. I do not know where the rules stand if you take a child out of the school with a sibling placement - but I know know they don't revoke places unless you've broken the rules.

I realise that technically they have done nothing wrong. I was upset and annoyed at the time of hearing about their situation. This was due to the stress of my own DS not getting a place at a school a stones throw away that his 3 brothers all attended and with which we have a long family history (am still gutted tbh).

Having calmed down, I no longer see it as my moral dilemma as I do not intend doing anything with the information. However I do hope they had a moral dilemma when taking the decision not to inform the school of their plans.

It really comes down to the decision by the LA to change entrance criteria this year to: 1. sibling in catchment 2. sibling out of catchment 3.Catchment 4. Out of catchment. I'm not sure this is fair and it does encourage the renting for 6 months then moving out brigade that I watch dropping their kids off in cars every morning.

As for the exodus in year 3, it is really not a 'mass' rather a significant minority. I know it annoys the head and governors but there is little they can do about it other than putting parents through a lie detector test when applying.

Surely a solution may be for the school to be two form entry dropping to one form in Year 3 or whenever the exodus is.

My DC are at a pre-prep and there is an exodus between kindergarden and reception once the girls leave for their 4+ schools. It copes by reducing the number of classes.