Schools and house moving dilemma - what's the solution

moneygoround

Stay where you are, get your child in to the desired school, then move. But, as had been said before, admissions criteria can change, e.g. criteria such as 'within a mile' can be changed to 'closest to the school', which makes a HUGE difference, meaning that children living further than a mile from the school but with siblings at the school will be granted a place over and above the non-sibling child who lives closest to the school.

We are about to appeal for a Y8 place, having been unsuccessful at a Y7 appeal. The admissions criterion has changed drastically (in our favour, hopefully) from last year to this.

Once you have your place at the desired school, you can move where you like.

Please do not risk the fake rented address scenario, you could and most likely will get found out (other families will report you) and the Admissions Code allows the LEA to withdraw a place within the first term, so your child will end up at the not-so-good school after all.

Fly_Baby

esmy wrote: »

If you like your home and the schools close to you, stay put, keep adding to the deposit until you have the offer of a place for your child at the school you want, then look to move.

It will have been four more years of renting at £900 pcm. Plus eight years rented up until now.

Still, that I could live that I suppose - my concern is that in 4 years' time house prices will increase greater than our deposit and the house will once again be unaffordable to buy.

Fly_Baby

moneygoround wrote: »

Please do not risk the fake rented address scenario, you could and most likely will get found out (other families will report you) and the Admissions Code allows the LEA to withdraw a place within the first term, so your child will end up at the not-so-good school after all.

Well, if that's all I am risking then I have nothing to lose - because if we do go for the house in the cheaper area he will go to that not-so-good school anyway...

Not that I am seriously considering this route - just really dissapointed. I would have traded our so called nice area in for a better and bigger house in a less desirable area in an instant (I don't care about prestige and all that) - if it hadn't been for schools.

These areas look very similar. My only idea of why the cheaper one is cheaper is that it must be down to schools. True, it has a bit of council housing (so does the nice area) but it contains a very sought-after development and a couple of streets with houses worth £600k upwards...

silvercar

JodyBPM wrote: »

Is temporary renting not legitimate? The admissions where we are locally just state where you need to live at the time of application/admission, they don't state that you need to live there for any length of time afterwards??? Based on that I would have thought it was perfectly legitimate as long as you are renting in catchment at the appropriate times?

Just curious, as its something we *may* want to consider in the future, and I hadn't realised there was anything wrong with it (legally anyway, morally I accept its questionable), but I may have interpreted the admissions document incorrectly.

One school near me requires tenants to show a tenancy agreement lasting at least a year and to have severed links with any previous home. All done to stop people attempting to beat the system.

If you do rent in the catchment of any school you will be expected to actually live in the rental property in order to call it your home address.

bestpud

JodyBPM wrote: »

Is temporary renting not legitimate? The admissions where we are locally just state where you need to live at the time of application/admission, they don't state that you need to live there for any length of time afterwards??? Based on that I would have thought it was perfectly legitimate as long as you are renting in catchment at the appropriate times?

Just curious, as its something we *may* want to consider in the future, and I hadn't realised there was anything wrong with it (legally anyway, morally I accept its questionable), but I may have interpreted the admissions document incorrectly.

It used to be a common ploy to get children into the best schools bit LEAs are onto it now and often ask for proof that you are actually living in the rented property and have done for some time. Also, they may well want to know that you have either sold, or are renting out the house you own.

So, it's possible but you'd be looking at moving in at least 6 months before application time, so that would be spring/summer of year 5 and you'd need to stay until at least Christmas of their first year at secondary school - almost two years to avoid suspicion. They will certainly ask for utility bills and the like, showing you are living in the property.

Have a look at these two links (there is lots more like it if you do a google search):

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/parents-urged-to-act-as-whistleblowers-to-stop-school-places-fraud-1920109.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/7376338/School-admissions-more-parents-facing-fraud-investigations.html

Savvy_Sue

I don't think you've been looking long enough, but you do also need to go and look at the schools rather than just read their Ofsted reports. Also remember that schools can go down as well as up in the popularity stakes, a change of head teacher can do remarkable things ...

lalli_pickle

OK, I'm probably going to get blasted for this, but if mortgage payments on a decent place you like will be higher than renting, surely you are better off staying where you are?
That way you get to keep all that extra money, you don't have to worry about the interest rates shooting up, you're in the right area and you don't seem to have any worries that your landlord will kick you out so you effectively have the stability you would have owning your own home.
If the only reason you want to buy is that 'all your friends own houses' is that really a good enough justification for you to buy? Do you really want the mortgage and the house or is it a case of keeping up with the Joneses mixed with pressure from family and friends to be a grown up by buying your own house.
Bear in mind that in the vast majority of countries, owning property is a rarity and renting is the norm.

Fang_3

lalli_pickle wrote: »

OK, I'm probably going to get blasted for this, but if mortgage payments on a decent place you like will be higher than renting, surely you are better off staying where you are?
That way you get to keep all that extra money, you don't have to worry about the interest rates shooting up, you're in the right area and you don't seem to have any worries that your landlord will kick you out so you effectively have the stability you would have owning your own home.
If the only reason you want to buy is that 'all your friends own houses' is that really a good enough justification for you to buy? Do you really want the mortgage and the house or is it a case of keeping up with the Joneses mixed with pressure from family and friends to be a grown up by buying your own house.
Bear in mind that in the vast majority of countries, owning property is a rarity and renting is the norm.

That can't be true unless the 'vast majority of countries' have social housing for all. Which they don't.

The countries that do have a renting culture, have laws that benefit the tenant more than the landlord, whereas we have an arguably more balanced legal system which does not lend itself to mass renting.

Bufger

Fly_Baby wrote: »

We have been renting for 8 years: first we were not ready to buy due to work, then we couldn't afford anything, so we saved up a good deposit. Now we can afford a house but are stuck with schools.

It just seems that we will be renting forever... All our friend either own their property or are looking to buy right now. And that three years on, house prices will go even higher and we wouldn't be able to afford anything - again!

With an 80K deposit i dont think houseprices are likely to grow out of your reach any time soon

pixelation

Hi there,
Two thoughts - one is that school change rapidly when a new head comes in - so three years time means there is a lot of possibility for change. You could buy now and move in 2.5 years, or the school could change.
Secondly - you could buy to get on the property market and rent out that house. That way you are on the ladder.