Primary admission query - length of time at address

[Mayvis]

Posting on behalf of a friend -

My friend's child has been on the reception place waiting list for her preferred primary school since allocations were made in mid April.

They went away at the end of June and were in first place. On their return ten days later (early July) they had moved down the list. They were informed that a family had moved into area.

These new children have secured a place at the school, with at least one child securing a reception place.

Now, my friend has seen that the new family are already looking to move again. They've asked about rental properties in or near the town but not necessarily this particular school. There are two other primary schools in the town.

Does this all sound fair according to usual admission procedure? I was trying to find out if there was a minimum amount of time that you had to be resident at the address used for the application. Searched county website but couldn't find anything.

Thanks.

Hopefully the experts will be along in a minute. They could be investigated if the LA believes they moved in just to get a place and moved straight back out again - but LAs differ

Is she certain is the same family? I'm not sure how she would get so much information?

I think it is perfectly normal that you get moved up and down on the waiting list. DD has a friend who jumped 50 places due to her older sibling getting a KS2 place despite not even living in the borough. I don't think you need to live at an address for a while to become eligible.

But if it can be proofed that this family purposely moved to gain admission then it can be challenged.

Putting aside the question as to how your friend knows this, the basic question is whether the new family used a short term let to secure a place at their preferred school. If the LA decides that is what happened they can withdraw the offer even after these children start school. However, if the move was genuine and the need to move again so quickly is due to unexpected circumstances neither this family nor the LA has done anything wrong. There is no minimum time you have to live at an address before you can use it to apply for a school place.

LAs do differ in their approach to addresses and timings/proof. Some will ask for evidence of an ongoing rental (so not a short term one), others may not. It's entirely possible that the family have moved in from some distance away to a property close to the school, on an ongoing lease, and thus leapfrogged the waiting list on distance, which is entirely fine.

What the LA do if they now move quickly will differ by LA. Some will investigate and determine whether they think the rental was deliberately engineered to get a place and then move, at once point the place can be removed IF the LA determine that the move was essentially fraudulent. As others have said, there are many reasons it could be legitimate. Other LAs won't be bothered, or will be happy if they are simply living there at the time school starts.

How has your friend "seen" that this family want to move? Primary waiting lists can be a hotbed of intrigue and I struggle to see how your friend knows this for definite. As others have said, there may well be legitimate reasons for moving again. There have been several threads on here from people in just that situation who moved, got a school place, then found themselves at the mercy of a landlord or family member giving them notice and having to move again at short notice.

Thanks for all the advice.

She knows through what she was told by the school (I don't know what exactly), the fact the catchment is incredibly small so she knows lots of people living there who in turn, know who the new family are. The new person has posted on a public page asking about places to rent and has explained her circumstances regarding school.

I guess all she can do is wait or speak to the school. She completely understand the applications procedure but was unsure about what counted as a permanent residence. All of your reasons and explanations make perfect sense so thanks for all replies.

I've NC for this for fear of outing myself.

Just found out that a particular family who have a place for their ds at 'the' local secondary school have temporarily rented a house next door to the school in order to get in..

Basically their family home was in the neighbouring admissions authority and they were in the processes of moving into the area. However it was taking too long so they rented a house virtually next door to the school just in time to get a place, they did move in but they still owned their old house.

They've since moved into the new address but here's the rub- people living closer are still on waiting list.

The local authority have fairly strict rules on use of temporary address saying it won't be used if they still own another property.

We are furious and have reported them but are worried that because they moved in they'll get away with it, which seems very unfair.

All you admissions experts- does this sound fraudulent to you?

It certainly sounds like they are in breach of the LA's rules which, if correct, would mean their application was deliberately misleading. It is impossible to be certain without all the facts. If the LA decide the original application was misleading they have to decide whether this family would have got a place if the correct address had been used. If they would have got a place anyway they are entitled to keep it. If not it can be taken away.

It's possible that the LA will decide it's fine, depending on a number of factors. You say they were already looking to move - if they have permanently moved from one admissions authority to another, with no intention of moving back (say, they have rented their own home out on a long term rental) and are now living in the rented property, the LA may well determine that it was a proper move.

On the face of it, there is nothing wrong with a proper move from one home to another in this way - it could be that they are not moving for a few months just to get a place then moving back to their existing home, they are properly moving, as you said this was their intention.

How temporary is the rental? How can you be sure your information is correct?

They sold their old home but it didn't complete until after the places were allocated and they were definitely living there. It's not hard to find out this info online

I see it that they basically jumped the queue and rented somewhere to avoid the annoying rule of having to wait to complete before being able to apply and being late applicants. As I understand most councils won't accept an exchange of contracts and you have to complete.

They took the rental for 6 months and they're now in the house they were buying all along which was too far away.
They completed on new house after 5 months.

Do you know how long it usually takes for the council to determine?