No judgment please — has anyone actually been checked and removed from a school for being out of catchment?

[Uptownmom]

Hi all,

Please no judgment — I’m just looking to hear real experiences from other parents.

We own a flat in a good catchment area, which we currently rent out (it’s an HMO). At the moment, we’re living in a different part of the city that we really love and that works well for our family, but the local schools near us aren’t as strong as the ones in the catchment for our rental property.

Our baby is only 1 now, so school is still a few years off, but I’ve been thinking about the possibility of using our rental flat address to apply when the time comes — even though we won’t be living there full-time. I know it’s not the “correct” way to go about it, but like many parents, I want to give my child the best education I can without uprooting our lives unnecessarily or putting strain on us financially.

That said, I’m nervous about what could happen. Has anyone actually been checked and removed from a school for not truly living at the catchment address? Are councils really investigating this kind of thing? If so, how common is it, and how do they check?

I’d really appreciate any honest insight or stories — again, no judgment please. I’m just trying to understand the real-world risks and how this plays out in practice.

I would say it depends on your local authority. Some are rigorous about checking, some aren’t. I’ve put two children through school and never had to supply any proof of where I live. But maybe they check behind the scenes, council tax etc.

Have a look on the council website, ask around etc. but it’s going to be a risk if you do it.

The local very good comprehensive secondary school offered 15 places to kids out of catchment in error/ through parents fraud & they had their places withdrew a month after offer day when the school decided to withdraw their places. This meant there were very slim pickings for the kids as all good schools oversubscribed.

Is there a difference between withdrawing offers though and actually removing a child from the school once they’ve started? Surely the latter is less common.

I always wonder how people actually get away with it, and how they aren't caught.

I’ve known a child removed from secondary after the first term. Incredibly distressing for them when they’d just started.

Why would you expect no judgement? I happily judge people who try to break the law or game the system.

The sister of my tenant had her child's place withdrawn. She'd used her sister's address, but then couldn't offer proof of council tax, tenancy or bills.

I only know because her poor sister called me, mortified, to say if she asked to be added to the tenancy to please ignore her as that's not what my tenant wanted.

There was one other place removed as well for address inconsistencies, but no idea of the detail.

Why do people assume that what happens in their area is what happens everywhere? I’ve never had a home visit from a teacher.

I was one of the people who mentioned home visits and I wasn't remotely saying it happens everywhere, just that it happens in some places

I know someone who did this. They got a letter on allocations day, along the lines of you don't have your preferred option as it was a fraudulent application, here is a school in your catchment, where you pay council tax.

Depending on your local authority, depends on the checks they do.

My son's friend got into our school because his parents rented a flat in the area.

However, they counted on the drive from their actual house being 30 minutes to school. Not long after he started long term road works began on the main route for them. His journey now takes nearly an hour every day. And of course he is rarely able to come back here at weekends etc to join in any of the socialising

I was the parent who had to deal with an 11 year old in floods of tears who couldn’t go to our local oversubscribed secondary with his friends. It was our nearest school and we were 130m too far away. If I’d known of people who gamed the system I’d have been tempted to dob them in.

Sorry, OP, but you don't get to say that you want to commit fraud and then demand "no judgement". What you're proposing to do is morally wrong, it has a negative impact on other people's children, and people will judge, whether you like it or not.

People can and absolutely do get found out in situations like this. Do you really want to risk having your child kicked out of a school after they have settled in?

What happens if you move out of the catchment area when they're halfway through school?
But yeah OP the school will do a home visit so don't think that would work x

Other parents will be angry with you and will report you, and this will have potentially damaging repercussions for your child academically and socially.

You can move 100 miles away and still send your children there its where you live when you apply that matters.

Thanks! I was genuinely curious x

You can’t ask a question about doing something morally questionable and ask for no judgement. I can judge. I think you’re someone with ways and means to get what
you want by being deceptive and you’re deciding if you’ll get caught… If you move in and pay the bills/CT it will be legit, if not you’re getting round a system put in place to be fair to all children.

As others have said, you will be judged for considering this as it is fraud.

Sorry if this is an obvious question but I don't believe you've addressed it. Your child is only one, you have plenty of time. If you know you want this particular school why on Earth don't you seek a more suitable property in the area? I'm assuming the flat is either not big enough or not suitable for your needs. Do you own your current home, or rent? Either way, there's plenty of time to sell the flat and find something more suitable nearer to the school you want.

You can't have it all. You either keep living in the area you prefer, and accept that comes with schools you are less keen on, or move back to the area you don't like as much for the sake of the school. Lying on the application form is not an option, as it's fraud and it will be found out.

Besides, a long commute for your child totally negates the benefits of a good school. They will be exhausted, and cut off socially from their friends. It's just not worth the lies (and that's before you consider how unethical it is to deprive someone who rightfully deserves it of a place at their local school).

Can you teach your Primary School child to lie and cheat to get what she wants OP?!

What a disgusting world we live in. Self self self.

Just nasty.

What’s wrong with the local schools? Do you currently take your baby to any local toddler groups etc? Where will the other babies that go there go to school? Have you looked around any schools? I wouldn’t just go by SATs results or Ofsted reports. Talk to local parents. Are their children happy at the local schools? If so, at primary level as long as your child is happy I would say that’s ’enough.’ Plus as long as you do your bit at home with listening to your child read, helping with spellings and timetables, encouraging an interest in museums etc then your child is likely to do ok academically at most primary schools.

I've not heard of anyone's child being removed but I do know circumstances where the offer has been withdrawn.

Like PPs have said - we had a home visit from the school so that would have been quite telling!

Because it is more common than not, and most schools do?

Yes at our primary a reception child was removed in the first half term

Our school did home visits. Not sure if that’s common but they do them here!