Parents that are lying about their address

[RomfordDad]

Yes, it's ironic that parents think it's OK to send a child on a journey they will do day in day out for 7 years but declare that it's too far for them to come for a Parents Evening, options information evening, [insert any other school event], ...

Do you realise there might be other reasons why they don't come for parents evening, like people who leave the house at 8am and come home from work at 8pm for example?

[Guest55]

LIke the teachers you mean who are still there at 21:30 and probably left home earlier than 08:00?

There is no excuse when the date is flagged months in advance and two dates are offered.

Usually these are the parents that then expect a written report instead.

[ToadMum]

Yes, it's ironic that parents think it's OK to send a child on a journey they will do day in day out for 7 years but declare that it's too far for them to come for a Parents Evening, options information evening, [insert any other school event], ...

Do you realise there might be other reasons why they don't come for parents evening, like people who leave the house at 8am and come home from work at 8pm for example?

Both parents? Couldn't you send the childminder or the nanny instead, presumably s/he spends more time with the children, anyway? And as Guest55 says, secondary school parents' evenings are usually on the school calendar way in advance, often right from the beginning of the school year. If your own DC 's school isn't so organised, perhaps you should have a chat with the head.

[mystery]

We receive about 5 weeks notice of parents' evening at secondary school and less than two weeks at primary school. I can usually get to it, luckily, but my other half can't. And it's nothing to do with the location of the schools relative to our home address. I am sure there must be parents where both of them already have work commitments that can't be changed for something 5 weeks from now. And I am sure the head is not going to change the system for anyone. Also, because of the timing and the fact that a lot of people round here have a long commute to work, it would mean taking annual leave for the afternoon to attend the event. If you had several children, attending the parents' evening is not as easy as it sounds.

So I am still not convinced that this is a problem that changing the school admission policy would help with -- sure it might work at some schools where parents' evening is notified a very long time in advance, parents who don't have work commitments that have to be done that particular day no matter how long the notice is, where parents evening is late enough in the evening rather than straight after school for staff who also have to travel a long way etc etc.

Moving house to be extremely close to the school that you want is not always very feasible either - price, other children's schools and work commutes, changes in the oversubscription policy just when you thought you were living in the rght place the line is moved, etc etc.

If it were possible to have grammar schools serving "local" children, what would people define as "local" and what do you envisage the admissions policy saying in order that they select "grammar suitable" children but also give priority to children who live near the school.

[tiffinboys]

first priority to candidates - who have achieved minimum score (like in Bucks for example) or top 500 children in the test - on distance from school to their permanent address.

[piggys]

Seem to me like people here are suggesting that parents don't even care about their own children, make them travel long distances to better school just because of the prestige or whatever, while they themselves enjoy a job with minimal commute, drinks with local friends after job etc.

Aah yes the prestige. The kudos. It is indeed a phenomenon.

I feel profoundly sorry for the children of South Korea having to live such a dreadful life. The highest suicide rate on the industrialised world but an ability to complete a GCSE paper in 15 minutes? That's a Faustian pact if ever there was one.

[mystery]

I don't know what it's like in general in South Korea because I've never been there to find out if these stereotypes are indeed the norm.

But do you think that there are any / many parents in England like the type Romford has said other people are assuming a lot of parents are like and need admissions policies to correct this trend? I don't know, or know of, anyone quite like that myself.

Tiffinboys - yes that is certainly a possible admissions policy for a selective school. If it is a selective school with no other selective school for miles around the policy will result in people who can afford to move closer to the school moving closer to the school. I am not sure if that is fair either. Also, distance is not everything when it comes to commutes. Once the school is more than walking distance, the time taken very much depends on traffic levels, bus and train routes and times etc.

It is certainly a policy that estate agents and current homeowners in the vicinty of a selective school would welcome - but not for educational reaons.

[loobylou]

We receive about 5 weeks notice of parents' evening at secondary school and less than two weeks at primary school.

This was what our primary was like. I went to 2 parents' evenings in 9 years of having children at the school
At least we get the entire calendar for the year ahead in July now for secondary school so I take half a day's annual leave for every parents' evening (no way I could get there with less than 3 month's notice)...

[timothylewin]

it certainly is unfair and its down to the councils to check on recently changed addresses surely. What systems are in place legally though by council enphorcement?

[tiffinboys]

It is certainly a policy that estate agents and current homeowners in the vicinty of a selective school would welcome - but not for educational reaons.

It won't be any different for outstanding or good comprehensive (or Upper) schools. Remember there are only 163 grammars vs >3,000 non-selective schools.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... nt-numbers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And any one who plans to come near to Tiffin in Kingston would need to have savings or mortgage for around 700k for an average terraced house. I would think that any one who has that ability, would rather send their child to private school, rather than to a State school where admission is so competitive. Rather save the stress to child and also the family relocation.