Moving into rented accommodation in the catchment area-when can I safely move back?

[enlondon]

I am thinking of renting a property in the catchment area of a secondary school. Once I have done this and my child is given a place (presuming everything has gone to plan and the catchment area has not all off the sudden become even smaller etc), how much longer do I need to live there before I can move safely back to our house outside the catchment area? As soon as I have filled in the application? As soon as my child is offered the place? As soon as my child has actually started in September? I actually called the LEA to ask this question and they were not sure. I asked a different LEA the same question about another school and they said that I could move out of the catchment area as soon as the application form was received! They seemed puzzled by my question though, understandably, and not sure if I trust their answer.

Just to point out that for some people this can be a genuine worry. My SIL lives with just her ds. About 6 months before she had to apply for schools, her landlord put up the rent to affordable levels so she had to look for a new place to rent.
Obviously school places were going to be a huge factor in her decision. Thing was, all local schools would withdraw the place if you were further away in the Sept when the children started school. And while some landlords would agree to a year contract, none wanted sign up for 18 months to an unknown tenant, especially an unemployed single mother with small child!

Eventually we found one who agreed to an 18 month initial term though with break clauses, as at least that signalled her intent to stay. Required DH being a guarantor and 2 months rent in advance though.

Given the crapness of the landlord in doing repairs etc she would have preferred to move again but wouldn't risk her son having to move school.

The school has removed places before. Dn is one of 3 non-siblings in his year of 60.

I moved to get my kids into a good school - I went through all the hassle, expense and abuse...and I would do it all again. The way I see it - I wanted the place more than someone else did and if the government can't provide adequate good schools then its up to me to find one......you have to do what's right for your kids - there are no second chances.

Actually you might not have wanted it more than someone else, you might just have had more money.

If you rent near a popular school and still own another house the LA is likely to regard this as suspicious and may treat your application as if it was from your permanent address. If you return to your permanent address after getting a place at your preferred school (or, indeed, if anything else happens that makes the LA think you gave misleading information on the application form) the LA is entitled to withdraw the offer even if your child has already started at the school.

You may get away with it but the risks if it goes wrong are high. You could find that your child ends up at a much worse school than would have been offered if you had been honest about your address.

Well, what are suggesting is illegal and the LA will find out eventually (someone will report you)
And then you will have to explain your actions to your dc.
Great parenting there!

Did you give them your name?

To the poster who said they will not remove the child from the school. They can and will.

3 children in DS1 year 7 class started school and then had their places withdrawn and had to leave.
2 children in DDs year 7 class had their places withdrawn.

This was due to fraudulent claims ie renting a house in catchment and not actually planning on living there.
Our LA is very strict on this as it happens a lot

They no longer just accept that people live where they say. They investigate any application where the family has moved to the catchment area within 6 months of the application deadline.

If the OPs user name reflects where she lives, it may be the same LA.

CountingClouds - You say, "Despite all the scare stories no one is going to pull your child out of a school".

You are wrong. As other posters have pointed out it happens all the time.

Of course some people manage to cheat the system successfully but many do not. In a typical year LAs in England detect around 1400 fraudulent applications.

When we moved from the midlands to London we had to provide our old tenancy and council tax info an the new stuff to prove that it was a genuine relocation not to get into a good school. Dd had to wait another 3 weeks after term restarted before she was allowed to join the school.

During this time I was constantly ringing school an council for updates and we were being checked by the la to assess our application.

If you are in London tread very very carefully.

Why not sell your home and buy another one in the catchment area?

I did not give them my name, of course not. I may be deprived of any moral compass but I am not stupid! Quite pleased to know that some of you at least think this is not that much different from all the other tricks; religion/private school etc.

Tiggy tape; 'but how can the LA prove I only rented for schools?' So what if I rented for that purpose? As long as I live there what does it matter what my motivation was? People who live in owned property in the area for years and years might have chosen to live there for the school. I am not saying this is not different. Morally it is different but legally it isn't. Or is it? I am not planning to only pay the rent, I am actually going to live there.
I have looked at some other boroughs's school websites. Some state that you have to give evidence that you are no longer attached to the previous property etc. This particular school does not say anything about that.
Having said that, I will most likely not go through with it all. Not for any ethical concerns by the way. Purely because of the risk that she might be chucked out of school after having started!

If you're able to live in the area for up to two years, why don't you just permanently move to the area with the school you want your children to attend?

You sound nice

Ok, En we did exactly what you're thinking of and we know several other families that have done the same.

To answer your question - we stayed in our rented property for about a year and a half (from before application to after starting school). Ds had been attending the school for more than half a term before we moved back (as our own tenants had moved out and our landlord wanted to sell up). I don't know how much difference it would have made but I wanted ds to be actually settled at the school before moving back.

We also tried (anonymously) to find out how long we needed to be living there and were told it was only the address on the actual date of school offer that mattered in our area (not London).

I don't disagree with those outraged at how we maniplulated the system but I am clear on some issues:

1. We didn't lie. We only ever told the absolute truth about where we lived and dates etc. (unlike the many many families in our area who lied about their religious beliefs, their main place of residence, or their child's primary carer.)
2. We followed the rules which the system allowed us to do. In our area there were no rules about renting, reasons for moving or dates.
3. Our dcs didn't carry the guilt from our choice. I always made it clear to the dcs that we, their parents, made the choice to rent not them, so they had no moral responsibility for those who didn't get in to the school. We did.

I'm not defending or regretting our decision. I'm just answering the OP's question.

Where I live this is very common and places are never revoked on the basis that families had effectively falsified their main residence. I've known families who signed tenancy agreements in catchment areas and never even moved. What it means is that my ds is very unlikely to go to
Our local school. Ironically, no one wanted to come here a few years as it was failing. A new head and injection of cash has transformed the school.

It's really really sad as like you all I want the best for my kIds. However, what it has made me do is appreciate that today's failing schools could well be tomorrows sought after ones.

Well in that case child 2 would be eligible for free transport to the next nearest school...

It's very difficult as all our kids deserve a decent school

Posted too soon- meant to say all kids deserve a decent school wherever they live, just because you don't live in the right area (often good schools are in well-to-do areas) why is your child less entitled to a decent education?
That said I would try my best to work the system eg actually move if necessary, but wouldn't risk breaking the rules completely.