Relocating closer to a grammar school

[june23]

One of the grammar school mention this condition "If you own or rent a property, and you buy or rent another property or live with family or friends temporarily, and state that this is your and your child’s home address, we will not use the second address for school admissions purposes."
Does this mean that 2nd address can't be considered if we still own/are on rent on the 1st house?

Basically yes. Unless your other house is in the Hebrides...

I believe if your first house is rented out its OK as well (we have a house we rent out which is disregarded).

I have already answered on your original thread. It’s considered fraudulent to temporarily move closer to a school to gain a place.

Yes exactly that. This is to stop people renting to get a school place.

Be warned, the most popular schools do phyiscal checks.

All address details would need to change and some very popular schools impose a time to be in the school catchment address.

I have replied on other thread dishonest and robbing a more deserving child of a place!
You will get found out if you have a parent like me who went to ombudsman!

Yes, that's exactly what it means. And for good reason.

Grammar schools are very familiar with parents trying to temporarily move to the area, get a school place, then leave.

Basically you need to sell your current home and buy/rent near the grammar school for at least two years after the child starts school to avoid being a fraudulent applicant.

If you temporarily move near the school, use that address to get a place, and then move away after your child gets in, when the school eventually find out (and they will, they do a lot of checks) then your child will lose their school place overnight.

Generally, yes. Many schools and LEAs are very wary of rentals of convenience where people vacate (but don’t sell) the family home, rent a property near an oversubscribed school and (often) move back once they’ve got a place there. More and more LEAs seem to be putting these very clear rules in their admissions policies.

How would the school know you have a first house if you send them proof of address of the second?

Cross referencing school records, council tax records etc.

Because people fall over themselves to report other parents in the run up to year 7. So kid in year 6 at x village tells all his mates he’s got a place at the grammar, other parents hear and think wtf we’re too far away/my kid didn’t get a place and we’re 50meters closer. They ring the school up. The school will investigate

Cross reference school records with what? That doesn't happen.

Cross referencing with council tax and when they started paying at that address, address held by primary school, asking for previous address and what happened to it. They can do quite a lot these days if they are minded to.

Many LEAs (I gather) put the onus on the parent to provide evidence that the first property is now a long term rental etc and/or they are paying Council tax, registered for a GP etc at the second address. Without that evidence, they’ll use the first address.

I remember watching The Big School Lottery, a programme that focused on Birmingham school allocations in around 2010, and they had a list of applicants with addresses they considered to be suspicious and were visiting them in the very early morning/late at night to check if the family were genuinely living there. I know it's the wrong area and a bit out of date but it shows that they do have checks in place to identify suspicious addresses and see if they are genuine.

@peeweechigs I'm sought after areas it absolutely does happen. Councils have access to data such as electoral data.

If they are suspicious they will investigate. If you rent in an area close to the school, chances are the house will be know to the school.