11 Plus Exams Forum

I'm currently not in catchment for Kendrick school and live away in the UK - primarily for work reasons. I own a house within catchment that is currently being let. How soon do you think I need to move into catchment to comply with Kendrick admission rules? I know it states a certain date in June but I'm worried that admissions team in Reading require more proof. I absolutely intend to stay and live within my catchment house throughout my child's school years if she gets in Kendrick. And I don't want to sell my current house where I live now. Am I allowed to keep both houses? Do I need to rent my current house as proof to the LA? I absolutely want to do the right thing legitimately BTW. Have you done the same and how was your experience? Thanks!

Hope4Ken wrote:I'm currently not in catchment for Kendrick school and live away in the UK - primarily for work reasons. I own a house within catchment that is currently being let. How soon do you think I need to move into catchment to comply with Kendrick admission rules? I know it states a certain date in June but I'm worried that admissions team in Reading require more proof. I absolutely intend to stay and live within my catchment house throughout my child's school years if she gets in Kendrick. And I don't want to sell my current house where I live now. Am I allowed to keep both houses? Do I need to rent my current house as proof to the LA? I absolutely want to do the right thing legitimately BTW. Have you done the same and how was your experience? Thanks!

It's where the child lives that is relevant - plenty of children have birth parents not living together, in which case, the 'address test' is where the major part of the week is spent or if this is equal (7 nights per fortnight, say), the address where the child benefit is / would be being claimed is used. So if you are claiming that you / she live in the house in catchment but your DD actually lives and goes to school somewhere completely different out of catchment, that would be fraud in the context of the school application. I would suggest that if the LEA / Kendrick say that the address that will be used is where the child is living on a certain date in advance of the school application, then you need to make plans for the in-catchment house to be your DD's permanent place of residence (complete with local school place unless she is home educated) by the date stipulated. Having one parent living elsewhere due to work issues shouldn't be a problem - only one person with parental responsibility makes the application for school places so presumably your OH would do this?

Kendrick take the address you are living at when you apply for the test, so June time.
The requirement for proof of address will depend on the local authority you will live as well rather than just the school. I think RBC matched up our application will council tax records, so I didn't need proof of address. This was three years ago though and it might have changed. I suggest you contact the LA you will be living in and RBC to confirm.

OK. That all makes sense. My daughter goes to a Primary school within the catchment map of Kendrick, it's just that our house is not within the map (catchment perimeters changed didn't it? Afew years ago). So, yes, happy for us all to move to our in-catchment house and move all council tax etc in advance of the June date. I think should fix the issue. Thanks for your responses.

Hope4Ken wrote:OK. That all makes sense. My daughter goes to a Primary school within the catchment map of Kendrick, it's just that our house is not within the map (catchment perimeters changed didn't it? Afew years ago). So, yes, happy for us all to move to our in-catchment house and move all council tax etc in advance of the June date. I think should fix the issue. Thanks for your responses.

If your second property is that close to the school (for some reason I thought you meant much further than that), I would check with the school / LEA what evidence they need to have of you severing your ties with the other house.