How information do I need to report this?

[Ruby2202]

Found out from a friend that one of her friends has used a fake address to get into a very good school in our city which is local to us.

Apparently friend of my friend lives in a deprived area of our city and asked a mutual friend who lives in catchment for the good school in a totally different area of the city if she could move in with her temporarily with her dc so she can put her address down for the admissions to get into this school. She was intending on moving in with her temporarily and then renting locally to the school.

However, when it came to it said friend hasn't let her move in and she still lives the other side of the city to this school but has got a place. Apparently she is looking to rent near the school by September as the commute would be big if she stayed where she is and she's always wanted to live in the area where the school is. As do many people as it's a lovely area and the school is one of the top schools for results in the country.

This is all the info I know. I am wondering if I should report this person? However, I don't even know her name or dcs name. I can't believe these things aren't checked and she'd get away with it! Guess they wouldn't be able to do much without the info?

I am unsure if I should report or not anyway. She's a single mum and i know is just trying to do the best she can for her dc like everyone is. But she wants to move to and send her dc to one of the best schools in the best areas in our city! Doesn't everyone? She obviously can't afford it and there are other good/outstanding schools in the city in less expensive areas. Her expectations are very high.

I know the system is very unfair as only the more wealthy can often afford to move to these areas to get their dc into this school but at the same time she is denying a place to someone else who might have really saved and worked hard to live in that area too and has gone through the system honestly. It's a very oversubscribed school.

Gah- that is one thing I am worried about. If she gets a letter asking for proof of address will it say someone has informed admissions? It seems like she's not being very careful who she tells anyway. She's told my friend, they aren't particularly close and obviously the friend she asked to use her address. One thing which is stopping me is the risk of loosing my friend.

Oh- wish that was the case but with two pre schoolers, work, house etc sadly not.

Think it depends where you live as to if you need to provide proof. We have not provided any proof of address at all. They should bring that in nationwide

You will cringe at this one day. It's none of your business.

So your only reason for not doing it is that you might find yourself unpopular. Do you write anonymous letters as well? I think the moral high ground just collapsed on top of you.

Poison pen letters? How low are you willing to stoop?

Seriously, if there is nothing wrong with this gossip-mongering and snitching you are proposing, why not tell your friend?

Almost everyone on this thread has said leave it alone, it's not your business, but you seem determined to mount a one woman crusade against someone you don't even know and whose name you don't know. Very odd.

OP - what you have written could basically be summarised as:

"...please advise me on how I can stop people poorer than me going to a school populated by wealthy people, and which could encourage further poor folk to do the same."

If she is planning on moving to the area anyway, then you're being quite unfair.

If you are so outraged by wrong doing of total stranger, and repeatedly talking about doing the right thing, why do you even care about losing friend over it? Is it all just talk?
Or are you jealous she got a place at great school that your dc may/did not get?

She may have only told those two. She wouldn't blame the one who's address she is using so the only one left is your friend. She kicks off with your friend, who may have only told you, likely resulting in your friend being a tad pissed of with you.

This person won't be daft, if she gets a letter out of the blue asking for proof she will likely ask others if they have, when they say no, she'll suss that someone has grassed her up. And yes admissions may just say outright there has been an allegation.

But principles are principles right?

She's only doing what the rich have done for years (except she's not renting)

Some of these replies are just silly. Poison pen letters, jealousy, how ridiculous. I am not going to bother answering some of them.

Why is it me who is trying to do the right thing potentially getting flamed for it and accused of jealousy? I am perfectly happy with the school my dc has. If I was the person giving the fake address on here asking if it's ok would people surely reply, yes, yes that's fine!?

I don't have a vendetta against her, I don't even know her. It doesn't matter if she's a millionaire, rich or poor I would still think about reporting as she's taking the place of another child and is telling a big lie.

I am motivated solely by the fact I think it's unfair and immoral to fake an address to get into a school. She is taking the place of another child who deserves that place simply because she wants her dc to go to one of the best schools. Doesn't everyone? So it's ok for all of us to fake an address so we can do this? That's suddenly going to make the system fairer is it?

Of course I am slightly worried about my friendship with my friend if she found out. Who wouldn't be? That doesn't make me a bad person. I ve found something out which troubles me and I would feel guilty if I didn't consider doing what I think is the right thing.

Astro- so that makes it ok then? I think not.

As I ve said she has perfectly good schools where she lives. She could move to another cheaper area with an outstanding school. Her motivation is she's always wanted to live in that area. Not sure that makes it ok for her to do this.

OP, I was in a situation where I had to apply speculatively for a school admission for an area I was not in because we had not exchanged contracts. if an admissions authority has not seen proof (which is normally a council tax bill or tenancy agreement, or solicitors letter) they will not consider you as being in catchment. Even if you exchange two days before the start of term they do not increase your likelihood of getting in without proof.

So she either falsified proof or you've been told a tale.

If she falsified proof it's dead easy to check, all admissions will do is phone the council and say 'who is currently on the council tax bill' and unless she is claiming to be the partner of the person on the bill, they will know she's fibbing.

Incidentally what IS common is grandparents registering as being the home of children to get them in. Which falls down somewhat if they are in a one bed bungalow and there are six children for example.

Do what you feel is right. Personally I think if you are going to do it, at least have the grace to do it now so the kid has a chance to find a place elsewhere. Ironically sometimes admissions services say 'oh you lied, but someone else has moved so there is still space.' So it may backfire on you.

You don't even know her name OP, yet you make sweeping, judgemental statements on how she could do this that and the other.

You know NOTHING about her. You sound mean and unkind. But enjoy taking the moral high ground won't you?

Leave her alone. Honestly. Poor woman.

I mean the school woman not the OP

At the middle of all this is a CHILD who has been offered a school place, just leave it, for gods sake. If that child is from a really deprived area, perhaps, just perhaps, going to a brilliant school is what that child needs??

Why on earth would you claim you are doing 'the right thing' by meddling in affairs which are nothing to do with you? Hopefully you always do 'the right thing' in all situations then? Like a really snobby and judgemental superhero?

She had planned to move in with her friend, probably made the plans including a school application for her child then it fell through. Even if she made the plans to move just to get a good school what's wrong with that? Most parents try to do the best for their children in education by viewing lots of schools including those out of their catchment. I know parents who live next door to the school but didn't get a place and know of kids the other side of town who did - no cheating involved.

I think you're getting a hard time because ultimately it's the child who may be affected, not the parent. You stated initially that the parent lived in a deprived area then tried to soften it further on by saying it wasn't that bad. I have more of a moral dilemma with the state of schools in deprived areas compared to the schools in more affluent areas, that is the real immorality here. Certainly not the fact that a parent tried to create a set of circumstances to give her child a decent education. If she got it wrong she will be found out and the child may be removed from the school roll but that single action doesn't go anywhere near to fixing the problem of parents having to resort to these tactics in the first place.

To me, I would ignore it as idle gossip, friend of a friend blah with no hard evidence. You seem determined that you have it right in your own mind that she's a cheat and needs reporting.

Personally I wouldn't as I've got bigger things to worry about but it's your decision.

Actually, in the middle of all this is a CHILD who HASN'T been offered that school place, because someone cheated.

But how would anybody know if it's even true?
What bothers me most is that OP is speculating everything from gossip and determined that the person has cheated.

They have been offered a place though havent they?? It's still a child, and like I said, if they are from such a terrible area maybe going to this school is what they need? Maybe their mum knows this and that's why she's trying to rent in the area? I can't believe the nastiness and nosiness of some people. Wish I hadn't opened this thread, it's made me really sad.

If it's all gossip and speculation but the OP wants to report it because she thinks it's the right thing to do and it makes her feel better, then no harm done. It will be investigated and then quickly dismissed as not true.

If in fact the other woman has cheated, and the child loses the place now rather than further down the line after having started, settled and made friends (as it sometimes happens), then better now when they have a better chance to find another school before classes start in September, than later.

If OP wants to report a suspicion, she shouldn't be given a hard time for that. As they have said here in mumsnet on numerous threads, the rules are the rules and they apply to everyone the same, no exceptions, apart from the special categories stated in the admission criteria (e.g. looked after children, siblings in catchment, catchment, etc).

I think she has made a false claim. From what my friend said she asked to move in with another friend who was in the catchment area and put that address down as where she was living even though she doesn't live there with the intention of moving in with them until she could rent in the area the mutual friend then decided she couldn't move in with them after all my friend says she's going to try and rent in the area before term starts as that would be some commute for her sorry about no full stops my iPads not working properly