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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

renting another place to get school of choice-urban myth or not?

69 replies

1dilemma · 09/12/2008 23:59

So I was talking to a friend the other day and we were discussing this. She basically said it was an extremely rare thing to do and an urban myth, which got me thinking I only know of people who have done this by reputation not friends or family. So I thought I'd ask those who know....
so come on do people rent another place to get into the school of their choice or don't they? Friend said using another family members address was much more common.
Am in London FWIW

OP posts:

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lovelydear · 10/12/2008 00:02

i know someone with twins renting right next to a good school! but they don't have another house as well, they are just waiting to buy once the market bottoms out and the kids are in reception.

Tinker · 10/12/2008 00:07

I do know someone who used her parents address.

zenandtheartofbaking · 10/12/2008 00:10

I, personally, just me, know of seven people renting to get into a school, right now. Not friend of a friend, but to talk to or to nod to.

And I don't have that wide a social circle.

Not an urban myth.

Original poster

1dilemma · 10/12/2008 00:11

zena do they rent 2 places though or just one which just so happens to be well located?
(Thanks guys)

OP posts:

ShrinkingViolet · 10/12/2008 00:16

I know a family who rented a house in the right catchment area, but did it too late to count on the application form, so were left with a 6 month rental contract they didn't need. Made me even more when the child got a place based on their actual address anyway. [bad person emoticon]

zenandtheartofbaking · 10/12/2008 00:18

No, all the people I know of own one place and rent another. Not just for primary though - primary and secondary.

I think I feel a bit like Shrinking Violet about it.

zenandtheartofbaking · 10/12/2008 00:24

But i think renting near a school when you don't have a second home is a completely different kettle of fish.

Aaaannnd, it has to be said that people (usually) only do it (the two-homes thing) because the options are not that good. So ... although I do think it's a bit ... I also think it's really not for me to judge. Let's face it, people don;t do things like that unless they feel they have to.

[Back on fence for zen]

UnfortunatelyMe · 10/12/2008 00:26

I am playing the waiting game to see if there are 139 more girls living 1.6 miles (or 1.3) closer to the school than we do...and then I see this thread.......................

ScummyMummy · 10/12/2008 00:28

I don't know anyone who's done this.

zenandtheartofbaking · 10/12/2008 00:29

Unfortuantely - You are me - we're waiting for the letter in March and each time I see another house going up for rent my heart freezes.

UnfortunatelyMe · 10/12/2008 00:32

March wait here too. I have looked at google maps, and map quest and various other maps and have managed to get us 1.2 miles away according to the council that is..
Nightmare.
How far are you away?
I know that last year the cut off was 2.2 miles, but this year more people sat the 11+
and again.
Surely any renters NOW are too late?
Forms are in...this would have been preplanned?

zenandtheartofbaking · 10/12/2008 00:40

We're not 11+, well not entirely. The local school is comprehensive. But dh couldn't believe the catchment could be so small. About a third of a mile. Which is about where we are.

[I want to do a scream like yours but I can't do bold.]

It's hideous. Logically, I know no-one can move in now but ... . and then I wonder about the ones I don't know about.
I sometimes think I'm going to be a complete basket-case by March. and then I tell myself to pull myself together (unconvincingly).

Original poster

1dilemma · 10/12/2008 00:44

Forms here not 'till Jan or Feb (must go and look soon)

Zen sorry I called you zena misread your name

Unfortunately are you including sibling priority

awful isn't it, I think we're a cert for an appeal

OP posts:

anniemac · 10/12/2008 00:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

UnfortunatelyMe · 10/12/2008 00:45

A third of a mile? How many places? Bloody Hell.
I will scream for you...copy and paste that, then remove the spaces and it will be bold

Original poster

1dilemma · 10/12/2008 00:45

zen 7 is shocking are you London?

OP posts:

UnfortunatelyMe · 10/12/2008 00:46

I have thought about gathering a load of year 6's up and bundling them in a canal

anniemac · 10/12/2008 00:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster

1dilemma · 10/12/2008 01:10

Anniemac I' asking about living in one place and then renting a second place next to the school you want which you either do or do not live in solely to get a place in the school ie after the count day you give up the lease IYSWIM

OP posts:

TheBlonde · 10/12/2008 07:07

I don't know anyone but I don't think it's an urban myth
However these days you may have to show more evidence of having lived there
I do know someone who was investigated as someone had reported they didn't live where they claimed (it was not true)

Andthentherewerethree · 10/12/2008 07:29

I live in a fairly suburban town and its rife here, particualraly amongst the middle classes. my children went to a well respected c of e school, which i actually removed my ds2 from and he started a new school in year 2 last spetember whcih is much nicer. anyway the previous school which was the one my ds1 was a yr6 in, there were several parents who rented flats or houses wihtin a catchemnt area for the secondary school that was of choice.

one woman in particualr who i know fairly well, lives in a 1.6million pound house, but rented a 2 bed terace near the school, but they didn;t get in still, as apparently they used the records of child benefit and its where that gets paid to that they take as the fmaily address. unfortunatley they got in on appeal after the school term started, her dd attended another school for a couple of weeks and then was pulled out to go to the school of their choice.

i say unfortunatley as many other parents had chosen different houses to buy based on the locaion and the fact that they are in the catchment area for the school, we did it too, we moved when ds1 was in yr4 to a house not entirely of our choice but becasue it ws well within the catchment area for the secondary school. the thing is as well now, i'm not so sure the school lives up to its reputation!

stitch · 10/12/2008 07:31

if it is going to save you a fortune in school fees, it seems like a logicl thing to do.

DoesntChristmasDragOn · 10/12/2008 07:59

Logical maybe but wrong both morally and legally (as in your child will be removed from the school when they find out).

stitch · 10/12/2008 08:09

o, we're not doing it. we're paying for the education. a complete fortune too. but, i can see it as a logical solution to the problem. and tbh, as we cannot possibly afford two lots of school fees, let alone three, who knows what desperation will enforce.

TheBlonde · 10/12/2008 08:48

but if you move into the rented place is it legally wrong?

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