Cheating admission system

[Anonymousposter17]

Prepared to take a battering here, but interested to know what others would think.

Two years ago I moved towns to try to be able to get a better standard of high school for my dd who is now in y 6. We don’t live in a part of the country where selection is a thing, although she’s bright and I think she’d pass 11+ given the opportunity. Private education is out of my reach financially.

I’m a Christian who has always attended ce church, even before I had dd. Dd is baptised. There is a brilliant ce state school in a small neighbouring town to where I live. I couldn’t afford to buy there. I researched this school’s admission policy and aside from the usual looked after children, medical needs and children of staff it went like this:

1 children living in the parishes v close to school (where I couldn’t afford to buy) with proof of church attendance

2 children living in a few named parishes slightly further from school with evidence of church attendance (I bought in one of these parishes)

3 children in the nearby parishes with no church attendance

4 children further away with no church attendance (I’m pretty far away given how oversubscribed this school is)

anyway I did a freedom of information request before buying my house to ask on the most recent cohort where the last admitted child came on the criteria and it was criteria 3, meaning me being criteria two would have got dd in that year. I’m aware things change year on year but it gave me the general picture.

Now it’s time to apply and the criteria for the next intake has been amended. It now goes

1 nearby children with church
2 nearby children without church
3 far away children with church
4 far away children no church

their admission booklet shows that this year only one child got in based on 3 far away with church so there’s now almost certainly no way I’d get her a place.

my partners mother owns and rents out a number of houses in the nearby names parishes. This presents an opportunity to rent from her at a very discounted rate (but not easily affordable either) to be living in the right place. If I rented one from her, I literally would move there albeit in the short term as I’d be terrified of getting caught lying but I’m not sure I’d get permission from my lender to let my house out so it may stand empty. I’ve no idea about renting houses out. I can just about take the financial hit of renting from parters mum but it would not be easy.

honestly, if you had the means to do this (and the motive- there is nowhere close to this school in standards near and no other option for a faith education for her) would you? Or am I scum of the earth for even thinking it.

I recognise the irony in someone looking for a Christian education being so devious btw

Thank you. Bear in mind though primary school is in a separate town entirely well away from where we live and away from the high school so it already looks bizarre. In fact the primary is in a whole different local authority due to our previous move

I think it's disgusting but then I also think selective admission is too, especially based on a real or fabricated belief in a particular deity.

It all stinks.

I am guessing this is some kind of anti-Christian thread OP. Are you genuinely a Christian (I’m guessing not) or just pretending in order to get people going?

It’s dishonest, it’s scummy, it’s depriving another child of a more rightful place. People in my area do this for secondary and it deprived Dd of a place at our preferred secondary school.

If you rented out your house and rented in the zone you'd be fine. There is absolutely nothing disallowing people choosing to move into rental to be in the right area. There is nothing precluding renters from owning a home somewhere else. People do this for lots of reasons. Their owned home is not suitable for them to live in for a variety of reasons. Too small, not accessible. Wrong area. Big so they want to capitalise on high rental return.... lots of reasons and they are all fine. How long you have to live in the in zone rental home I don't know.

I’m afraid I really am a Christian, albeit not a very good one. I only mentioned the religious nature of the school to add to my explanation of why I want it. But to be honest it’s such a good school academically that the academics alone was enough to convince me I wanted it.

i guess it’s just frustrating that at my church and: presumably all the others in the vicinity of this school there’s a literal register for parents to sign to prove they go to church for 12 months before applications and every September you see new faces appear for 12 months then they’re never seen again after school places are allocated. That’s cheating too imo but since nobody can look inside your mind to see if you really believe.

Would grandma help you by allowing you to buy one of those houses for whatever you could sell yours for?

Admit it OP you have no plans to actually live in the rented property you are just going to pretend you are. The admissions process has seen every scam going and will see yours.

Possibly in theory but the timescale likely wouldn’t work. I’m presuming that’s not against the rules.

If it got me the place, I would. Frankly if it got me the place I’d sell mine and buy again in future.

i just can’t understand where the line is, I mean if I put my house on the market tomorrow and got a buyer the next day and sold up, then rented, how long do I live in the rental before I stop being a cheat?

My children's catholic school are doing home checks this year presumably to not only check from a welfare point of view but also to confirm that children are living where the parent says they are 😂

i just can’t understand where the line is, I mean if I put my house on the market tomorrow and got a buyer the next day and sold up, then rented, how long do I live in the rental before I stop being a cheat?
Go on the website and read the rules, it’s all there in black and white.

Which website please?

A friend of mine did this. She sold her house. At point of school application going in she hadn't even completed the sale. Sale completed, she took a STC 6 month rental in catchment and sent the details to the admissions authority. She then set about buying another house (out of catchment!) School started. Child attended. Before end of autumn term she had moved into the new purchased house. Cost her in solicitor's fees, stamp duty, moving fees etc. But she has not been "found out". Absolute brass balls on that woman. Some peoope will go to mad lengths to play the system and honestly as I get older I think, why not. No reward for sitting quietly like a good girl.

Your local authority admissions section should have details, or the school website. Some school require you to move X months before you apply, others by October 31st. How long you have to remain may also be explained. You can always ask if it's not explained.

In some LA a recent move might raise eyebrows and owning another property within a commutable distance, even if rented out, would disqualify you using your second address. You need to read the definition of application address very carefully.

Can't speak for every school of course but they definitely checked those who were offered places at DD2's school for this September. It wasn't just tenancy agreements/title deeds but also child's birth certificate, utility bills, driving licence, car insurance documents, bank statements and GP/NHS letters. All had to show our address as proof that we/DD was living here before the cut off date.

It depends on the local authority. It is frustratingly very easy in my area to get a school place fraudulently, as all you need to show is a council tax bill and a utility bill. The authority won't pay for any in depth credit checks or do any home visits (costs too much money), even when they're tipped off about fraud. However, the neighbouring authority is more on it and is much more likely to refuse or withdraw a place.

I guess it’s just frustrating that at my church and: presumably all the others in the vicinity of this school there’s a literal register for parents to sign to prove they go to church for 12 months before applications and every September you see new faces appear for 12 months then they’re never seen again after school places are allocated. That’s cheating too imo but since nobody can look inside your mind to see if you really believe

No argument from me there @Anonymousposter17 , but that just serves to show how annoying and frustrating it us when people cheat. I very much dislike the idea of a state school selecting based on religious belief and that's one reason why.

What you need to do is check the school's admission details to see what timescales they require. Impossible now tho surely to sell up and move by 31 October? I suspect even if you have a proper tenancy at MIL's house and can shoe you've let your own for 24 months, you might still lose your place as your house is so near.

In our area the school will ask foe the tenancy agreement for your rented place, and a proof that you've 'severed ties' with your original house. The later also needs to be a proper AST agreement.
But depending on the schools, I've read on here that parents of children in year 8 have moved back to their original property and the child was removed from the school register.
So research properly.

Thank you. I’ve had a look and the la website says you’d need to show evidence of “disposal of the old property” and mentions jan 15th as a date by which you can change address details and ask to be considered by. I realistically could sell up by then.

OP I think you are getting a hard time. I imagine a large proportion of posters piling on are people who probably can afford to buy houses by nice schools. All this “you’ll be depriving some poor child of a place” - they’ve already been deprived by nice middle class families buying round the school and pricing out other families.

However, OP most LAs are very hot on this issue. Have very strict rules on proof of moving. They are particularly alive to people renting for a year etc (but keeping own property).

I'd be worried I'd get caught out after being given a place and dd was already settled or something. Maybe they don't do that though?

Could you maybe downsize to a flat and buy near the school?

Surely if you can afford to do this you can afford private?

Thank you. I appreciate that. I was expecting to be told I’m wrong because ultimately I am I guess. I personally don’t think I’m more wrong than people who go to church to get a school place, but wrong is wrong I suppose.

that said, I’m prepared to sell my home if it means I’m not breaking rules. I wish I’d done it months ago now