SIF

[Parent68]

Look, my DS has got the right scores to get in via academic admission, because he worked hard, responding to our expectations, despite living very close to the school. On the other hand, no other child living nearer than us is even 15 marks close to the min score required for admission. Of these, we know at least 10 parents who have just moved house nearer than us since Sept 2012. None of them qualify to get into the school on the basis of merit but they are going to sneak in. .

How are they going to get in if they haven't got the required scores?

By having moved into a house very close to the school this month and qualifying via proximity rule. Had they remained in their old addresses they would not qualify under any criteria.

[Parent68]

.Anyway, since there is no support for my views on bogus residents apart from one other parent, I am just getting tired of highlighting this issue. It does appear that residents staying close to the schools and who now have been displaced by newcomers (since Sept 2012) either don't care or don't read this forum.

I just want to highlight to the School heads and admission secretaries that DAO seem to have the right (published) ethos in minimising this problem while the rest of you appear, at least on paper, giving this issue lip service. If I am right (I deeply hope not) then your schools bring little benefit to the immediate community as your proximity rules can be easily bypassed.

I am making an offer here to help. If any school head wants to enhance your ability to minimise bogus residents, I am ready to help, for free, by developing a semi auto spreadsheet that will red flag potential bogus residents. Please PM me. I will only respond to PM (on this matter) from school heads or admission secretaries, not from parents .

[oranges]

I would be slightly worried if heads of schools had time or interest to read this forum. People move to be near good schools all over the UK and even my friends in Australia said it goes on there. You move to get into your primary - stay a few years and then you notice it again and again parents move to be near their secondary school. This is happening all over London, if people work hard to afford new houses I wish them the best of luck. Unfortunately I am outside the catchment area for my local good school, but I did know this problem since my child started primary - I saw the mums moving house all the time - did I save my pennies and move -no - so now I need to deal with this problem myself (crying). People buying I dont have a problem with as they are adding tax to the economy when you buy a new house - renters from September I dont think they will get away with it - remember heads of schols are very clever and usually the admin staff are wise in the ways of the world. Lets give them some credit. My local school people rent for a year before- most dont even move in just register a few bills in their name - could I do this - is this what I want my child to see - a cheating mum - no. Then you are onto the ones who suddendly are separted and live with the in-laws near the school - it goes on and on - if you think about it too much it would drive you to drink

[thumbelina]

the cheating of local kids from a place at their local school by a child who suddenly appears and then disappears from the registered address on application form HAPPENS.

a girl in my dd primary is renting opposite the girls school, scored a mark much lower than 200 but will get the distance place that probably belongs to a local girl who has been in the area for a while. incidentally her brother will also take the place of a local boy in a couple of years time (and he is still in his primary in harrow). thats just one case.

the schools do what they are supposed to do - that is educate whoever comes through their door. and they do their job to exceptionally high standards.

i beleive that its the councils responsibility to root out those who are intentionally arriving near a school for a distance place (plus sibling distance places in later years) only to return to their original home soon after. the council have the resources in terms of staff and access to all the databases they need ie. dvla, primary school info, council tax info, cross reference younger siblings still attending schools outside of the watford area etc. the council is able to view movement much more readily and coroborate information.

come allocation date the true impact of such unscrupulous folk will hit the fan as there will be way fewer distance places available (which reading some of the posts many are hoping for). remember not only will the temporary renters kid get in in 2013 but also the sibling for a previous years temporary renter too.

[Pikachu]

Maybe the better solution is for the school to add (on top of the existing checks) a 3-year stay condition for the 10% proximity criteria. They should request evidence of stay at the end of year 8 i.e utility bills for that duration, before the child is allowed to continue to Year 9. Failure to provide such info will lead to prosecution. Make this information clear right from the start and there should be no problems. If there is a genuine reason for moving, the onus is on the parents to prove it, and for the school to decide whether the reason is good enough to allow their child to continue.

[bluepeach]

I support your view parent68. I too know of families moving in very late into the flats and town houses opposite the girls grammar school. Could someone clarify for me, when exactly did these people have to be at their address?

[WP]

I support your view parent68. I too know of families moving in very late into the flats and town houses opposite the girls grammar school. Could someone clarify for me, when exactly did these people have to be at their address?

It's the time of application, but it has to be a permanent address. I'll quote you note (ii) from the WGGS arrangements:

In applying these admission arrangements, `permanent home address' will be defined as the permanent place of residence of the parent with whom the applicant spends the majority of her time. The home address must be the address where the applicant is living at the time of application and before the closing date for applications. Where parents/carers share responsibility for part of the week, then both home addresses must be quoted. The school may check the authenticity of the address stated. Proof of residence or further information may be requested and must be provided.

If the main address has changed temporarily, for example where a family is renting a property on a Short Term Tenancy Agreement (12 months or under), then the parental address remains that at which the parent was resident before the period of temporary residence began unless it can be shown that all ties to the previous address have been relinquished, or that the move is not easily reversible. The Governors may refuse to base an allocation on an address which might be considered only a temporary address.

[Parent68]

So that's it then. All those who are going to lose out please write to your school governors expressing your dismay about parents who have moved in after Sept 1st 2012 to secure a place via proximity rule, never mind the second criteria of distance. Any one who moved in in the last 6 weeks AND has a child who needs to make secondary transfer in 2013 is a prime suspect of being an opportunistic queue cutting parent or a downright bogus resident.

It is especially painful to see locals losing out to last minute movers whose DC don't even come close to making the academic cut.

So their DCs don't have to study hard to make the cut and the families don't have to live in this 'horrid' place (as one poster had said about Watford) but can enjoy the benefits. All because they have the money to splurge and buy their way in.

I know one parent who's been living here for years, her DC being first on the proximity queue. Then in May, she dropped to second place, in September she dropped to third place and now I estimate she is at number seven (!) in the queue. That's not me by the way.

So if you are unhappy about queue jumpers, please write ASAP to your school head and the governors. Remember, these queue jumper are robbing you of a place.

[bluepeach]

Does 'time of application' mean the date when the application process opened i.e. 1st Sept 2012 or does it mean the time when the CAF and SIF are sent in to the council and school respectively?

[WP]

Does 'time of application' mean the date when the application process opened i.e. 1st Sept 2012 or does it mean the time when the CAF and SIF are sent in to the council and school respectively?

It means the time you apply.