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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

Cheating school admissions. Wrong I know but needs must.

54 replies

LG8 · 08/04/2009 08:08

I have to choose my son's secondary school by October. We basically have a choice of 2 notorious, failing schools in special measures. My son is quiet and sensitive and it will be like sending a lamb to the slaughter. He gets picked on at primary school now so secondary will be hard enough for him as it is, without sending him to a daily war zone. I just can't do it, I'm not willing to do it.

My partner lives in the catchment of 3 very good schools. He has suggested we use his address to get ds in to one of them. Chances are we will be moving there sometime in the near future anyway but not before DS starts secondary.

As I said, I'm supposing nobody will be willing to help me cheat school admissions but it's worth a try. What do I need to do? Are we likely to pull this off? The other schools are not massively subscribed and I know of lots of people who have got into them without people checking up etc. Just that you have no chance if you're not actually in the catchment area. Especially when your catchment schools are so under-subscibed.

Can anyone advice me on this?

Please don't reply with a load of abuse, I'm just trying to do the best thing by my son.

OP posts:

compo · 08/04/2009 08:10

I haven't got any advice but I would say go for it and good luck.
Might you move htere before September anyway?
Why don't you all just move in with your partner now instead of waiting

BonsoirAnna · 08/04/2009 08:11

Why don't you just move in with your partner rather than cheat and risk being blacklisted by a school?

MelanieLiv · 08/04/2009 08:12

I replied on the other thread LG8

nickschick · 08/04/2009 08:13

IF I were you Id just fill the form in using your dps address and apply for those school and not mention the fact you arent living there.

If anything got said, you could lie and say at the time of application you were living there.

I can understand you trying to do whats best for your ds.

Good Luck.

cluckyagain · 08/04/2009 08:19

I've just had to give in my driving licence, council tax bill and utility bill to prove address. Up to you but it may back fire massively!

seeker · 08/04/2009 08:23

And if you are happy for your ds to start school colluding in a lie........

Original poster

LG8 · 08/04/2009 08:45

Yes I'm happy for that Seeker. If the education system was fairer, people wouldn't need to lie.
I'm not going to allow my son's educaion to suffer.

OP posts:

seeker · 08/04/2009 08:47

So what's he going to tell his friends? What about inviting people home? He won't be able to, because if anyone finds out that you've lied, the place can be taken away at any stage...

pinked · 08/04/2009 08:49

Well, you should 'phone admissions and ask what documentation/forms of proof they look at. Say you're moving and want to make sure you get all your documentation sorted, or something. and then make sure you do it. I'm guessing electoral register and informing the primary school of the "change".

But ... it will be incredibly stressful. You will be worrying from October to March that someone will shop you/they will find out and the consequences aren't great.

Also, secondary school is bigger and you won't socialise with the other parents much but, if the other parents find out it will impact on the way they treat you. which will be "frostily", which may not seem to matter now but ... .

I hear what you're saying and I understand but it wouldn't be fair not to point that out.

pinked · 08/04/2009 08:51

I think seeker's right about that too. It's going to have quite an impact on your ds.

Is there absolutely no way you could legitimately move, even temporarily?

pigleto · 08/04/2009 08:55

Go for it. I would. Or move now.

MoreSpamThanGlam · 08/04/2009 08:58

I say do whatever you need to to do the best by your children and cannot believe that people would rather see their child go to a school that is clearly not right for you son.

They will want documentaion - no 2 ways about it. Can you not just move in and rent out your current property or just move in and thats it? If the worst comes to the worst and it doesnt work out AFTER he has got a place, you can move into your own place again.

Good luck!

edam · 08/04/2009 09:05

Could you persuade your partner to agree to you moving in together, even if it's only temporary?

I feel for you. Our LEA is constantly trying to force children into a school in special measures. VERY stressful for the families concerned - the council leaves the kids without any of their three preferences and just dumps them in this school, no matter where they actually live or whether it is at all possible for them to get to the failing school by public transport.

We are OK - it's the poor sods who live in the villages around our town and the nearest who get picked on. Very unfair as when they closed the secondary school in the biggest village, they promised the children would have preference at a decent school in the nearest town. Have flogged off the school site for more houses, which will only make the problem worse. They know perfectly well that the parents who can afford/stretch to private education will do so, it's only the kids from ordinary families who will suffer.

Council clearly doesn't give a toss about the stress they put families through. Seem to forget that THEY work for US not the other way round. The bosses are probably too busy counting their excessive wages (six of 'em pay themselves over £100k out of our taxes).

tiggerlovestobounce · 08/04/2009 09:15

If the better schools arent actually oversubscribed is there a chance that you could put in a request for them, and just get in that way?
Otherwise could you move in with your DP? At least then you son would be in the school - if you moved again later they wouldnt make him leave would they?
I completely sympathise with you, and can understand that you dont want your child to go to a failing school, but I would worry that dishonesty could backfire on you.

stuffitllama · 08/04/2009 09:20

wouldn't you have to be careful if you are getting maintenance for your son (sorry.. unless he is your partner's son also)

would officially living with someone else affect maintenance payments

mrsjammi · 08/04/2009 09:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

mrsjammi · 08/04/2009 09:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

seeker · 08/04/2009 09:29

I repeat. Are you going to ask your child to lie repeatedly to his friends and to his teachers? What about bringing friends home?

mrsjammi · 08/04/2009 09:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

LadyMuck · 08/04/2009 09:36

I think at secondary school the issue of what other parents think is less important tbh unless this is a massively oversubscribed school with a 250m catchment.

Each LEA will have a different way of checking up. The main ways will be electoral roll, council tax, tenancy agreement and driving licence. If you're not on the council tax bill, then you will have to explain why not.

Changing electoral roll and driving licence is very easy. Council tax will be more difficult as you will presumably stay liable for the council tax at your current address. I suspect that it would depend on how suspicious the council is (or even how unusual your name is) but you may get away with just having sufficient docs in your name.

seeker · 08/04/2009 09:44

LGB junior comes home in the first week of school excited about a new friend. "Can x come back after school?" "Um, yes, but you have to make him promise not to tell his mum and dad where you live"

LGB junior to LGB "X wants to call for me on Saturday to go to the cinema - where shall I tell him to come?"

clam · 08/04/2009 09:56

All the parents round here who have been allocated a place on the distance rule this year have just been asked to provide proof of residency. In this instance, that means child benefit documents, council tax bill and a utility bill for the relevant period. In due course, as more and more people are found to have been trying to buck the system, they could well ask for more forms of evidence. Or different things each year so you might be caught out. They also check up on the address the primary school has for you.

magentadreamer · 08/04/2009 09:56

Seeker I haven't a clue as to whether or not my DD's new friends live in the catchment area or not. I'd have thought if the OP was going to be caught out it would be when LG8 junior tells all his current friends he's off to so and so school.

BecauseImWoeufit · 08/04/2009 10:02

I fail to see how the system is 'unfair' as you put it. EAch school has a catchment area. You don't live within the catchment area of the school you want your DS to go to.

So you need to move into the catchment area of the school that you do want ds to go to. You have two choices. You move independently or you move in with dp. If you are going to move in with dp anyway, then why not do that now?

peanutbutterkid · 08/04/2009 10:09

Agree with BecauseImwoeufit.

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