Bucks - Council Catchment Assesmet

[soodsaheb]

Hi There,

I live in High Wycombe area and have recently noticed people renting flats in our block after the Bucks examination results to target for Royal Grammer School (RGS) which I think is bit unfair to the families living here.

My Question is - Is there anything council does to prevent this?
- Do the council team visit those rented flats and check if the people have really moved in or have they just taken the apartment on rent for admission purpose?
- Can people like us stop this thing for happening or is it normal trend?


Kind regards,
Vidhya

[mitasol]

https://www.buckscc.gov.uk/services/edu ... print=true" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If we offer a place at a school and then discover that the offer was made on the basis of fraudulent or misleading information (for example, a false claim to living in a catchment area), and this denied a place to another child, the offer of that place will be withdrawn by the admission authority for the school. This has happened in previous years.

Most LAs do careful checks with recent changes of address or unusual applications and places can be withdrawn if not genuine. If you are aware of fraudulent applications you can contact the LA.

I am not sure about Bucks but some LAs do home visits in order to help people establish where they live!

[hermanmunster]

Bucks council are very careful over address verification, they probably get to know which addresses each year have an "unusual turnover"

If you are concerned then report the fraud to Bucks CC

ETA: X-posted with Mitasol

[kenyancowgirl]

I would add to HMs post: if you are concerned or suspect fraud then report it to Bucks CC - they will then be able to investigate if they have their own concerns.

[scary mum]

You can contact BCC with your concerns. There is a "Contact us" page here

[mm23292]

We usually see a rental surge too, very easy to spot who they are...and why they are here. Given that a lot of these people do ‘move’ so to speak, to the catchment area where their child has passed the test, in the 2 week window before October 31st, does this not satisfy the requirements and easily enables this practice?
Or are they looking at other information, such as existing primary address, other tests the child has sat etc, or actual reasons for the move?

[hermanmunster]

They would look at whether it was genuine move, length of lease, what has happened to the old house, have they moved schools, etc etc

If they do a a home visit - is the place reasonable for the size of family ? etc etc Are they all in the house at 0730 in the morning on a school day?

here is Bucks CC notes on the matter https://www.buckscc.gov.uk/services/edu ... ing-house/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not sure if you have seen it but there was a good programme (now on youtube) - the big school lottery - set in B'ham. Splendid bit where they did a home visit to a small flat where the family had allegedly moved from a large house - there was no-one in at about 0700 or whenever, the lovely comment was "all we are doing is trying to help people decide where they really live"

https://youtu.be/e4A2CDBITWA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[cem]

Even if people moving to area children need to pass the exam don't they otherwise they can't go to school or can they without passing the exam I didn't really understand.
As far as I know Buckinghamshire school's not offer a place without passing the exam.

[ToadMum]

Even if people moving to area children need to pass the exam don't they otherwise they can't go to school or can they without passing the exam I didn't really understand.
As far as I know Buckinghamshire school's not offer a place without passing the exam.

The OP was talking about people moving in after the results (so their DC would presumably have been deemed 'selective'), so that they have a local grammar school catchment address from which to submit their CAF, the deadline being a couple of weeks later. Of course, of the OP's flat is suitable for a family, then presumably other flats in the block are, too, and the move into area may be genuine, even if the flat is only a stepping stone to a proper 'forever home' still within the catchment (rather than a temporary address to use before moving back from whence they came once the school place is secured).

Verily, though, some folk will go to great lengths to try to convince admissions authorities that, having given living in a three bedroom detached house a go for a few years, they have finally realised that their ideal 'forever home' is a one bedroom flat with the general proportions of a rabbit hutch. Chacun à son goût and all that...