A nightmare situation

[markw281]

So I will try to keep it short and sweet!
Let me get a few things out there firstly... I'm not with the mother of my boy, we were never together, but we do get along fine. I pay child support monthly (direct, not through CSA) without fail every month and I have my boy most weekends and some weekdays when not working.

With regards to any decisions that need to be made she has been really good and always got me involved and I have had a fair say.

So, she lines up what I thought were a couple of open days for primary schools, this turns out to be just one...The one she, her cousins and their children attend/attended. This is close to her mothers house, but the other side of town from where she lives.

I have just been informed this is the ONLY one she put down and has used her mothers address (I now realise this to be classed as fraud after reading several useful threads on here).

I am seriously concerned as the final submission date has passed, he has no back up school and at any moment could be rejected / pulled out after he is accepted. That's if he get's accepted, as the last 3 years the school has been over subscribed minimum 3 to 1 places.

I don't want to jeopardise his education, but it is fraudulent and to risk him being pulled out at any point during the year is not something I am willing to do.

Any advice on anyone I can speak to or anything I can do? I'm holding my hands up as well and taking half the blame for this situation as I didn't take as active role in such an important decision for him.

Thanks in advance

Ask her what proof of address she provided. They usually want offical stuff like council tax bills or benefits letters.

I am no expert, but if you inform the admission authority, your child will not get the place in school your wife put in as first choice, and get the school somewhere else? Then at least there will be no chance of school place being pulled out after he has started. If she hasn't put any other school, it maybe her/your last choice of school, but isn't that better than him being pulled out during the year?

If she hasn't put any other choice it doesn't automatically mean she'll get the one she wants anyway.

If it's oversubscribed and has a siblings first policy, there's a chance he wouldn't get in even if he DID live close by.

Then, because she put no other choices, she'd get the school with the most places available and that could be miles away again.

I would consider going for a late application. Inform the council of a change of address (to her real address) and put down lots of choices near to her real address.

Obviously you'd have to get your child's mother on board though. Nice calm discussion needed...