Rental address used now place withdrawn

dodger · Post by **dodger** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 1:28 pm

A friend who rented one of these houses told me her child had got in under the exam criteria and not on distance. So that suggests that there is some truth in these rumours about those children in the rented houses not being considered...Also the location zone seems to have gone out further this year.
The system is a mess and not sure how it can be sorted out FAIRLY.

Sally Herts · Post by **Sally Herts** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 1:38 pm

dodger wrote:A friend who rented one of these houses told me her child had got in under the exam criteria and not on distance.

If he or she really did get in on the exam.

I'm a little disillusioned with all the skulduggery that seems to go on, or maybe I was just very naive before the exams.

Midget Man · Post by **Midget Man** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 1:55 pm

Anybody newly moving into the area are surely checked out? Whether this be renting or buying, don't your LA has cut off dates etc? In Bucks anyone new into the area have to declare and prove before test's are even taken before they'll be considered for 1st round allocations. If they move after that they need to prove they are actually living there again to be considered for 2nd round etc etc.
Do you not have this system within your area?

Charl39 · Post by **Charl39** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 3:36 pm

Yes Midget Man, we have a similar system here in Barnet and also Herts (I believe). These checks would be done before offers have been given out, but presumably if information comes to light after that (for example, someone moving out again before start of term or a suspected fraudulent address is reported) these would be reinvestigated after March or later rounds of allocations.

NorthLondonMum · Post by **NorthLondonMum** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 3:37 pm

Midget Man,

The thing is that there are many parents with deep pockets in Herts and North London. They rent or buy close to the school, live there for a year or so while renting out their old house, then move back to where they came from.

Their aim is to meet the admissions criteria in terms of dates and they actually live there, but it seems that it is now being argued that this does not qualify as a permanent address.

To be honest these parents are buying a place at a state school, I know people who have done it, at DAO and elsewhere in North london. I'm starting to think lotteries are a good idea!

Charl39 · Post by **Charl39** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 3:39 pm

I also know people who have done this, and although morally wrong, technically they are doing nothing wrong and have not broken any rules.

NorthLondonMum · Post by **NorthLondonMum** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 3:40 pm

I think additional proofs are required after allocations by some schools, may be the case for DAO. When we filled out our CAF online a cross check to council tax records was all that was required (London Borough).

Charl39 · Post by **Charl39** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 3:42 pm

Yes I remember now DAO were asking for proof of Child Benefit after allocation as additional proof of address.

In Barnet we had to provide our Council Tax bill and 2 utility bills.

C. J. · Post by **C. J.** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 4:48 pm

I think the problem stems from the DCSF / Admissions Code. Yes, you are within the law if you rent short term near to your favoured school and move in there for the duration of the admissions period. You are then free to move back to your previous address having obtained a school place that, as Charl39 says 'morally' belongs to somebody else.

I wonder if parents who do this actually think through what they are teaching their children: which is that to get something you want it is okay to steal from somebody else.

Maybe, maybe, when the new Admissions Code comes out they will have tightened the loophole. Until then, as I said before, well done for the schools trying to stop people from legal cheating.

NorthLondonMum · Post by **NorthLondonMum** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 5:07 pm

I suppose this raises the question about the appropriateness (spelling?) of distance from school as a method of allocating school places. I'm sure we all know people who are certain to get into a good school beause they live very close and others who are equidistant from two or more and can't be sure of getting any of them. What makes one more deserving than the other?

If everyone had a right to go to their closest school but could only be entered into a lottery for left over spaces at other schools would that improve things? Oversubscribed schools would have to expand to meet demand or a new school would have to be opened close by. Of course we would have to do away with selection by ability, aptitude or religion!