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Primary education

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Original poster

lying about address

29 replies

winnie01 · 19/03/2008 14:41

i know someone who has done this to get into school i want my child to go to. should i tell? and if so when, before i find out if she's got a place or after?

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avenanap · 19/03/2008 14:44

Some schools come out and check. Are you doing this out of spite or because it's wrong? There's no guarantee that your child would get the place if she was found out, would you do this regardless?

greenday · 19/03/2008 14:51

I say 'yes'. Its a bit like benefit fraud. It is unfair. Its calculated cheating.
Everyone else has played fair. So why can't she? And the rules are very clear in the admissions.

cheesesarnie · 19/03/2008 14:54

i would.not out of spite but because even if your child didnt get in,another child that should be able to may not iyswim!!??

avenanap · 19/03/2008 15:01

I would contact the school. It's unfair on other children for her to do this and I would send an anonymous letter to the school asap. It's a very common problem but just remember that your child might still not get in.

newgirl · 19/03/2008 15:10

i think you tell the admissions department rather than the school?

she cant really get away with it - when her child starts school, people will work it out soon enough

HappyMummyOfOne · 19/03/2008 21:12

I wouldnt hesitate to write to both the school and the admissions department, you dont have to say who you are.

What if a mum who had lived in the catchment area all her life missed out on a place or a parent that couldnt drive to a nearby school.

Cheating to get into a school is wrong on so many levels.

2boysnamedR · 19/03/2008 21:49

I would. I was told of someone who used grandparents address to get into a local school. There is a massive waiting list of parents within walking distance of that school. If you play dirty to get a place then you deserve to get found out

perpetualworrier · 19/03/2008 22:08

What's unfair is that by happening to have the right address you get to go to the better school. Why should happening to have lived in the catchment area all your life entitle you to a better education for your kids than someone who's lived in a rough area all their life? There are enough benefits to being born into a "good" area/family already.

In my perfect world, it would be compulsory to go to your local school, but all schools would be equally good - dream on.....

nametaken · 19/03/2008 23:12

I would tell (anonomyously) as soon as possible. The less people on the list, the more likely your dd will get in.

81sharonb · 19/03/2008 23:15

my ds hasnt got into my first school choice. I think I would tell if it meant he would get in. After all I would expect someone would tell on me if I was the guilty party.

MaggieW · 20/03/2008 11:21

It's interesting how these things work. I have an acquaintance who's did this last year ie used grandparents address to get child in, and do you know what, in spite of all the outrage amongst other parents, not one of them did anything about it. It didn't affect me as we are at a different school, although I did say I thought it highly likely she would be found out, but when push comes to shove, a lot of people simply won't rock the boat to dob someone else in

MrsMattie · 20/03/2008 11:22

No, I wouldn't tell. Don't stoop to the same desperate level as your 'friend'.

Cloudhopper · 20/03/2008 19:40

I wouldn't. I would feel aggrieved but I wouldn't drop them in it.

And I say that having found out today that we have no place at any of the 4 we applied to.

I know there will be places at those schools that have gone to people with grandparent addresses etc etc. I have heard of so many people doing this round here, but I still wouldn't report someone.

Why? The whole schools application process is so distressing. It is just a nightmare and if they had to go through all the investigation etc it would be even more awful.

I know it is wrong, but the whole education system and place allocation is wrong.

DevilwearsPrada · 21/03/2008 14:04

I have done this to get my dd1 into the school she now attends. I put down grandparents' address. The school was undersubscribed though so she didn't take away a place from another child. I would be very if someone grassed me up for this and would think it was none of their goddam business. Just because I can't afford to live in a good area does that mean my childrens' education should suffer. I think not. And it's very easy for people to commentand say it's wrong they can afford to live in an area with good schools.

TheBlonde · 21/03/2008 16:24

I would report them, everyone else is supposed to be following the rules

alfiesbabe · 21/03/2008 17:31

Report them. No point in having rules at all is there, if people will break them and get away with it

ChickenSoupDragon · 21/03/2008 18:08

"would think it was none of their goddam business"

You could say that about every example of rule breaking. It's just as unfair that you could get your DD into a school because you had an address you could use to lie with.

I would report them.

Mercy · 21/03/2008 18:13

Agree with ChickenSoupdragon

llareggub · 21/03/2008 18:21

Well, DevilwearsPrada, you have a very flawed set of morals.

uptomyeyes · 21/03/2008 18:33

I don't know how you actually do lie to get into a school. When registering DS2 for our good local, infants school in 2007 I had to provide evidence that I was

a) DS2's mother - his birth cert + my passport.
b) That I received child benefit at the address I was claiming to live at for the application, for the child I was registering, as proof that he lived with me full time and at that address.
c) 2 utility bills in my name and at that address.

How do you provide all this info if you are lying about the address?

newgirl · 21/03/2008 19:59

i sympathise with devil and it might not upset anyone if plenty of spaces. my worry would be getting found out - a child at my dd's school was made to leave in reception. basically, its not fair that all schools are not equal

hifi · 21/03/2008 20:05

agree uptomyeyes, they dont make it easy to cheat.

redadmiral · 21/03/2008 20:10

I wouldn't report her. Just not something I could do.

pooka · 21/03/2008 20:17

I would report if school oversubscribed.
I live within 400m of my preferred school, but didn't get in (last year - dd at different school 1.2miles away now and happy/doing well). If I felt that someone else had cheated, would instantly think of the poor bugger lower down the list that didn't. Is completely unfair.

Cloudhopper · 22/03/2008 12:27

Two wrongs don't make a right - we are all just fighting against each other for the place at the better schools.

Cheating your way up the list can't be justified because you can't afford a house in the area.

"Why should my kids miss out?"
Well why should anyone's kids miss out? How do you know how rich the kid is that you have displaced? Even if they are rich, should they be forced out of the school? They might have been to nursery with all their friends and now have to travel 6 miles to their school.

Whether rich or poor, how can you judge who is more deserving of the place? Being poor doesn't make you more righteous.

I know so many people who have pulled this stunt round here. I wouldn't report them personally, but it would serve them right if someone else did.

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