Do schools check that you're living at the address you put down?

[SchoolForAll]

We currently live opposite the secondary school that we want our son (currently 9) to go to.

Next year, we are moving closer to my husband's workplace. We plan to rent out our current house and buy a new house about 15 minutes away.

In order to guarantee that we get our son into a good school (the one opposite us), my husband wants to use our current address on the application form. We will still own the house but it will likely have renters in it. Would the school check that we aren't currently living there?

Thanks.

Yes they do. They cross check against things like council tax records.
Plus what if the renters apply for the school too....?
Your husband is proposing fraud.

Why not just stay where you are?

You will almost certainly need to provide proof of residence, usually in the form of a council tax bill, but sometimes other evidence too (LAs differ on how they check). Lambeth, for example, require multiple forms of proof, such as a council tax bill plus utility bill, as well as evidence of the child's address such as a child benefit letter

The address you apply from needs to be the child's permanent address at the time of application.

If you gain a place through fraud, the place can be removed, even after the child has started school.

It's very likely that they will find out, either through you not being able to provide evidence, someone informing them of your move, or even that the people who rent your house apply for the same school.

If your son is already year 4/5, then then the best thing to do is postpone your move until after school applications.

I have certainly heard of occasions when they have. Also you may well get dobbed in by a cross fellow parent who missed out on a place and knows you don't live there.

Not always but over subscribed schools often cross reference and check.

Yes they can and yes they do. School places are taken away every year for this reason.

Yes

The school do ask to see proof of where you are currently living in the form of a utility bill or council tax form etc.
So I guess if you carry on paying the council tax and maybe get a postal redirection service so letters are delivered to you at your new address, you could manage it. The school won’t do a physical check. Though personally I would probably put off a house move until the school place was confirmed and then move.

Absolutely yes (I work in admissions). We require Council Tax or tenancy agreement, a utility bill or similar, plus evidence of the child's address (eg Child Benefit letter). Date requirements are very strict. If the evidence isn't good enough, we report the family to the LA for fraud investigation..

On a separate note, are you not bothered about the immorality of what your husband is suggesting?

Yes. Doing what he’s suggested is fraud. They could remove your child’s place even after they’ve started school if it was obtained fraudulently.

You should just delay your move until after your child has started at the school. If it’s close enough for your child to travel to school there from your potential new house surely your partner can keep commuting to work from your current house?

If you have to/choose to move now, you’ll need to apply for schools using the address your child is actually living at when you apply.

Imagine that his best friend lives further out than your current address but nearer than new one.
Your DS gets a place, friend misses out by 3metres.
Best friends parents would report you, and quite right too.

And actually @Twiglets1 they might do a physical check. I can and have done this. The LA do too. Admissions fraud makes me very very cross.

If you have tenants there you cannot use that address as your ds residential address. You also need to check address criteria for your LA as owning two addresses in relative proximity can be confusing, although most often if moving nearer the school.

Yes, they do. Two siblings were removed from a local primary school a couple of years ago for using a grandmother's address.

When we applied for our place we had to input our council tax number. I guess so they can cross check?
But I do know of a family who did this and where pleased that their house rented quickly … it was because those parents wanted to get their own child into the school!
It flagged two different names children at same address - they crossed checked as it could have been a step family situation. Turned out they only rented the house to get their child in said school and she had only rented it out so she could get her child into the school (she intended to sale the house once child in school) I can’t remember the outcome! But all very embarrassing for both families!

Yes they do. Have done so for several years now because of people trying to play the system.

Before they started checking properly local kids could barely get into the local over subscribed schools. After checks were introduced they suddenly had an abundance of places.

When I applied for a place extra checks were done because I had alerted the council that I had to use a care of address whilst Royal mail investigated why I was no longer getting mail. Cheeky fuckers parents had used my addresses for a place, and had backed this up by doing a mail redirect. As well as the child not getting a place the parents were done for fraud, mail tampering and other charges.

I’d just put the move on hold till after you’ve applied to school

Thank you for the comments.

To clarify, the area we're moving to is still within the catchment area of the school, but we do have less chance of getting it at our new address.

I’ve never been asked for proof of address for a school application. Is it mostly oversubscribed schools that do?

@pralinee

And actually *@Twiglets1* they might do a physical check. I can and have done this. The LA do too. Admissions fraud makes me very very cross.

Might hmmm... I work in a school and we don’t do physical spot checks. We just ask for evidence in the paper forms already mentioned

Why would you move such an insignificant distance away and risk jeopardising your dc school place?

15 mins closer to dh work means 15 mins further away for the dc to get to school every day, doesn't really make sense when I assume dh drives and the kids would have to walk/bus?

@Twiglets1 It's by no means a regular thing, but I might do it if I have reason to be suspicious. I had this a couple of years ago. Parent 'hadn't received' a couple of posted letters, and their address evidence was dodgy. I hand-delivered the next letter and knocked on the door - guess what, it was tenants living there. LA informed, place removed.

OP you're IMO looking at this the wrong way. You're talking about 'reducing your chance' of a place as if it's a victimless action. But the point is, if your true address is outside the distance cut off for that year, then you are fraudulently depriving another child of a place.

Oh and no, it's not just oversubscribed schools who check (depending on the area), but they might be a bit more assiduous than undersubscribed schools. After all, if you don't have a full intake, then a place would have been offered regardless of address.

The school catchment area must be massive then?

@Sharrowgirl

I’ve never been asked for proof of address for a school application. Is it mostly oversubscribed schools that do?

It’s the LA that do the checks, not the schools. The first thing they can check is the council tax address!

It's not about catchment area. If a school has a place then it has to offer it, regardless of the applicant's address. You could live in London and apply for a place in Carlisle if you wanted. You probably wouldn't though!

(Unless you were moving house, in which case you might. If the school in Carlisle had a place with no waiting list then it would have to offer. The offer could then be withdrawn if the pupil didn't turn up within a certain time frame.)