Proof of address for Camden school admissions

[IMyselfAmHell]

We are about to move to Camden, partly with an eye on admission to secondary school. I gather I will need to prove we were living there a year ahead of the application date—which we will be if all goes OK. What proof will I need to supply when I apply (in 2022 for 2023 entry)? I should have relevant bills and so on but was, for instance, hoping to keep the same dentist in our old area. Will that look suspicious?

If you are applying for September 2023 admission to secondary schools then you have to apply from September 2022, with the final date for on-time application being 31st October 2022.
School admission criteria will vary from school to school but they are all based on the address that the child is living at on the date of the application. So you need to have proof of living in Camden when you apply. You do not need to be resident in Camden twelve months before you apply only when you apply which is in effect 12 months before your child starts at the school.
Where you go to your dentist is not of any consequence providing that you can give appropriate proof of where your child is living when you apply.

Camden will be able to verify you're living in the borough with their council tax records.

Are you sure the information you have about having to reside in Camden for a year is correct? It makes no sense to me. You’d be more likely to get into some Camden secondaries by living in addresses in other boroughs as one of the important admissions criteria is distance from home. For example children living at an Islington address near to Acland Burghley would be nearer to that school than children living in Camden but near Kings Cross. If you look on the Camden admissions page you’ll find the correct information. www.camden.gov.uk/documents/20142/225233791/Secondary+schools+in+Camden+2022+-+admissions+guide+for+parents.pdf/62cf86e7-8716-2619-5f10-bd6c55431622?t=1628864196200

Also you have to actually live on the address and severed ties with a previous home. That’s the theory anyway. I’m sure some people manage to circumnavigate the system.

As far as I understand
it the address the child resides in on October 31 is the important one. For most Camden schools distance is an admissions criteria. Living in Camden isn’t. If you’re after Camden School for Girls remember your child must sit the banding test. I’m not sure when applications for this close but it’s early, very early September I think.

The thing about proving you've lived there for a is when you are at a temporary address and have another property elsewhere. If this is your only address then you just need proof that you live there on 31st October. That's how I read it anyway

for a year

It says:

"Camden will not accept a temporary
address if you still possess a property
that was previously used as a home
address, or a temporary address used
solely or mainly to obtain a school place.
We consider temporary accommodation
a place where you have lived for a year or
less prior to the closing date of Sunday
31 October 2021 (including rented,
bought or living with a family member or
friend)."

Ah - so you're not selling your
current house and are moving to get a school place

@IMyselfAmHell well yes but surely you are not going to have both properties.

What has your dentist got to do with it? Seriously?

No, we are selling. We will actually live there (possibly forever, given cost of stamp duty) and nowhere else. So it sounds like everything will be OK

When I applied for primary (different borough) I needed proof of address and as we don't claim child benefit I needed letters from doctor and dentist.

Well that's ok then! No need to have been there for a year before you apply and your council tax and electoral roll record will prove you live there

Just worried about this bit:

"or a temporary address used
solely or mainly to obtain a school place.
We consider temporary accommodation
a place where you have lived for a year or
less prior to the closing date of Sunday
31 October 2021 (including rented,
bought or living with a family member or
friend)."

Isn't it saying we have to be there a year in advance?

It's not very well written but I read it that the year is only if you have another address you can return to - if you don't then it isn't a temporary address and the paragraph doesn't apply?

If you kept your previous house and moved you would have had to have been in the new address for a year.

You may need proof that you have disposed of the other property

@IMyselfAmHell

Just worried about this bit:

"or a temporary address used
solely or mainly to obtain a school place.
We consider temporary accommodation
a place where you have lived for a year or
less prior to the closing date of Sunday
31 October 2021 (including rented,
bought or living with a family member or
friend)."

Isn't it saying we have to be there a year in advance?

Some people will buy the cheapest place they can get and use that address to apply for a school place. The statement is very misleading, so to clarify it I suggest you email the admissions team. Having read the admissions booklet for 2022, it just looks like the part you’ve referenced only refer to fraudulent admissions. www.camden.gov.uk/documents/20142/225233791/Secondary+schools+in+Camden+2022+-+admissions+guide+for+parents.pdf/62cf86e7-8716-2619-5f10-bd6c55431622?t=1628864196200

I’d check with admissions. I’m sure it’s fine to live in a property less than a year so long as you’ve disposed of the old property. I think living at an address less than a year may flag up extra checks but if you’ve severed ties with your other property you’ll have nothing to worry about.

Could you claim child benefit but pay it straight back? That way you’ll have proof and (you’ll have your NI paid!).

I’m in Camden and my dentist is miles away and somewhere I’ve never lived.

I agree that the couple of sentences you have quoted do appear to be saying that you must have been living at the address you apply from for over a year. There's no mention of 2 addresses or anything else, so I would definitely clarify this with the school you are interested in. Also, as pp has pointed out, do make sure you are aware of the distance criteria for each school. Just living in Camden borough won't qualify you for a place in any Camden school - but you are probably aware of that any way.