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

I typed out a longer reply and the stupid page refreshed and lost it si forgive the brevity.

a) your plan will not work. Your address for the application would still be the address of the house you own. You could get the house on the market right now at a knockdown price and have completed the sale by the deadline then rent for a year in-catchment before buying somewhere out of catchment but commutable. That would be legal.

b) look seriously at your actual catchment school. It may be ok. Don't be blinded by ofsted ratings, they don't always measure what is important for your child

c) if the catchment school is really awful and you are unlucky with the CofE application then don't dismiss private. If it's genuinely out-of-the-question you will qualify for a bursary. If she's bright then possibly a scholarship too (you can get both). Is your partner the father of the child? If grandma owns several properties in the posh area she could easily subsidise a school place for a total cost, over 7 years, of barely half of one property. Lots of kids at private schools are from families of totally ordinary incomes with fees paid by boomer grandparents who realise they might as well pay the schoolfees now rather than having the money taken in inheritance tax when they are dead.

No one in Admissions will know what the numbers are looking like for this year. The closing date isn't for a few months.

It’s not right but as a mum I would probably do it

It rather speaks about how bad are the secondary schools in UK that parents have to resort to some sort of tricks like that. If people hungry, they will steal rather than die of starvation, if there is no good schools people do all sort of cheating for the sake of their kids' school.
I think is that parents should press on school's improvement and the lousy government should also make an effort

It seems really important to you, and you’ve done a lot of research and soul searching… I’d say just do it. Go for it! Good luck 🤞

But you must go to Confession if she gets in x

The lord moves in mysterious ways.
If you've got some extra houses to play around with.

And to explain to her why you cheated the system if you get caught and she loses her place after telling all her friends she'll be joining them at that school.

And then you wondered why she is stilk in the school. Well, EHCP statement doesn't depend on the looks

Do what’s best for your child OP.