Can a school place be withdrawn?

[M123456G]

Hi
My son was offered a place at 1st school preference, which we accepted. 1 week before school starts, the admissions team queries our address - I believe one of his burned friends' parents has reported (baseless allegation)

My son started school but the place has been on hold - can someone advise what happens now please?

Thanks

Is the address legitimate or would there be genuine grounds to query it as that will change the answer.

If you lied then yes they can.

if you didn’t then you have nothing to worry about.

Yes it can be withdrawn.

depends what the investigation finds

Well, is your address an issue? They can withdraw it if your application is fraudulent.

Essentially yes, a place can be withdrawn if the school believes you lied during the application process. Have you spoken to the local council/school? You may need to provide more proof of your address.

Hi, yes, totally genuine - we're exactly where we were when we applied. The council had offered the place based on the evidence submitted then but said they have to investigate every claim they get. Should I be worried?

No, not if it’s baseless.

If you can prove you’re living there full time and you’ve not done something daft like renting a house for 6 months and you’re moving out next week you’ll be fine!

Thanks everyone, that's reassuring

Do you still own another house you previously lived in?

The council can only withdraw the place at this stage if your application was fraudulent or deliberately misleading, which basically means if you applied from the wrong address. If the allegation is baseless, they will not withdraw the place. However, if you haven't complied with the rules (e.g. you have applied from an address you rent when you own another property in the area - many councils prohibit this) they can withdraw the place.

@M123456G Yes, if it was deliberately fraudulent. This would include if you own another property nearby (in our county they stipulate within 20 miles of the address used to make the application) and are renting closer to the school. It doesn’t matter if that property is rented out to someone unless it’s something like a studio flat as an investment property and couldn’t be used for family accommodation.

Some people do this sort of thing to get admitted to the school and then move back to their owned property a year or two later. It is fraud.