News story about cheating to get a school place

[Charl39]

I just thought some of you might be interested in this local news story - absolutely astounding....

Mother faked identity in bid to cheat girl of school place

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/ ... l-place.do

[sherry_d]

Now that is vile and sickening. Its one thing playing the system (which isnt illegal) but this really deserves prison and that child taken by social service. How could she?

I am not bothered about those who move to be near good schools for their kids. Even if they do it temporarily, and they are just playing the system. Thats Gove's job to sort out but this is forgery and I am sure she had sore grapes with the other parent. I wonder if the poor girl whose place was taken away by this woman's child will get that place back instead?

[Ally]

I wouldn't be surprised if this sort of thing has happened before, but not picked up by the press. It must be really difficult to prove that you didn't ask for your DC name to be taken of the list, as it's your word against the school/council. It just proves how little checking is done. I've phoned up DS's first choice school x many times to check if he's moved up the waiting list, but I could have been any one.

If the child is taken into care, she would be "a looked after child" and then be guaranteed a place at the school!

[bromley mum]

If the child is taken into care, she would be "a looked after child" and then be guaranteed a place at the school!

Oh, don't go giving people ideas!!

[BarnetDad]

Excellent!

Actually I did wonder if temporary marriages are set up to get in on sibling policy.

[*** CONFUSED !!! ***]

I have to say that I agree with what everyone else is thinking, ie. the mother concerned was really bang out of order in what she did, ie. pretending to be another parent, etc.

Guess that shows the deviousness of some people, and the lengths that some people will go to.

HOWEVER, and it is a BIG HOWEVER:

To anyone thinking the child should be taken away by Social Services - I personally think that is BANG OUT OF ORDER and I am appalled, personally !!! ... have you really thought what effect that would actually have on the women's child ??? ... to be uprooted from her family, friends, familiar environment, etc ... that which she has known for the past xx or so years??? .......... it would turn the child's life completely upside-down. No-one can predict the negative effect it would have on that child and how it would affect the child's life forever!!! There's no telling whether the child would even recover from such a distressful event and upheaval.

Yes, the mother did wrong, (in trying to do what she considered "the best" for her child, albeit by fraudulent and devious methods, which I do NOT agree with) but DON'T BLAME AND PUNISH THE CHILD !!!

(Apologies for the rant, but I feel very strongly about this because of the poor child in the middle of all this mess).

[Ally]

Yes, now can you punish the parents but not the child. I'm sure there has been cases similar,but different things have happened, but the child in question has not been penalized .

So how can you punish the parents without taking the child's right to a place way, especially if the child has already a place at the school. It's the perfect crime because the child keeps their place at the school !

[KS10]

Ally, I thought you were suggesting facetiously that having your child taken into care is another way of getting your child into your choice of school and not a means of punishing naughty parents.

[magwich2]

It certainly was a terrible thing to do but someone should be having a long hard look at why parents go to such lengths in the area.
Why is this primary school so much better than the alternatives? It is not as though one is talking about a secondary school where all the children have gone to the bad years ago. Perhaps other primary heads in that part of london should be compelled to copy the successful school so that such behaviour by parents becomes unnecessary.

[2Girlsmum]

There actually quite a few good primary schools in the Crouch End, Muswell Hill and Hornsey area. Coleridge is 4-form intake - so 120 places per year. I understand that often places become available at this school in Y3 when some children transfer to independent schools. The ratio of applicants to places is 3:1, and the catchment area was 0.479 miles last year. Not the most oversubscribed in the borough, however: that was Muswell Hill Primary (6:1), nor the smallest catchment area (St Aiden's at 0.158 miles).

Every school in Haringey was oversubscribed which begs the question where do the children end up??