School catchment area

Theone1_2

Someone with a 3yr old daughter wants to rent my garden flat off me but not until Sep.

She wants to apply for the local school now and put my garden flat address down now to try and get her little girl on the list early.

Trouble is we have another tenant in there until Sep, and the parent of the 3 year old is obviously registered in her current address a long way away.

Does it get checked that carefully? Will it matter, will her plan work?

gingin_2

Will she ever actually live in the flat?

To me, it's morally wrong. If she needs to lie about addresses and moving in dates she might well be depriving someone else more deserving of the place.

Spendless

What's the rules of your LA on admissions? Here you could not apply now for a school place. The admissions form comes out late summer and then have a deadline date, which can be anywhere from Oct thru to Jan.This is for a place at the school the following Sept. It is the address where you live on the last day of the deadline that is important date here. Someone I know moved into catchment 10 days before the deadline for secondary school as she was concerned about her child not getting a place despite being in a feeder school (understandably so as 60+ kids haven't got in) and she got a place due to meeting the criteria of living in catchment, but perhaps other areas may ask you to live in an area so long, I don't know. Have a look at your council's website. I wouldn't allow her to lie about living in your flat.

shy-but-need-help

For reception the forms have to be in for by January so I can't see why she can't wait until she's moved in to apply (as all forms in by deadline are treated in the same way regardless of if they arrived first day possible or last- only late forms are treated differently) with a 3 year old as they wouldn't be reception age until September 2012 would they? (or if they are the 3 year olds who will turn 4 before September first she's already too late to apply for the 2011 start and would have to go on a waiting list anyway which, as far as I know, operate on a first come first served basis and not on proximity to the school.)

I would be really dubious as to if she genuinely plans to take on renting it in September or if they were just pretending to in order to get the right postcode for the school.

poly1

It sounds a bit odd to say the least especially, as others have said, there are no school application deadlines now. I wouldn't be surprised if it was just the address she wants. I would be honest and say that you are aware there are no deadlines for applications yet and that she is more than welcome to rent it when your tenancy has ended but you are not happy for someone to use an address whilst not living there. You could say that it complicates things for your tenant too, it might be a bit odd for someone else mail to start arriving there etc

Alikay

Our local authority apparently double-checks addresses against council tax/electoral roll details when it comes to applications for popular schools, so your prospective tenant could end up having to answer some tricky questions. Don't do it.- it's unfair on your current tenant, and puts you in a difficult position.

Desperado99

I don't think your current tenant would be happy about someone else using their address.

daska

Sounds as if she's panicking and doesn't really understand how the system works. Primary school application deadlines are not usually until early in the (calendar) year that the child starts school. The admissions criteria will dictate what order places are allocated e.g. in care, medical/statements, in-catchment siblings, in-catchment, religious reasons if appropriate, outside-catchment etc. Other areas use a lottery system e.g Brighton secondary schools. Either way round getting the application in early doesn't make any difference to whether her child gets a place or not. My local authority won't even accept applications this early because they're still dealing with appeals for this year!

Savvy_Sue

Don't some authorities ask for CT or utility bills to back up proof of residence?

I wouldn't do it. You may lose her as a tenant, but how badly do you want a tenant prepared to act in this way?

flora48

There have been cases in the press where people have been taken to court for using a false address to gain a school admissions. She does not live there, it is fraudulent. She may use you and your property to achieve waht she wants then go elsewhere. Schools have a great deal of local knowledge from their parent base and suspicions abouit this sort of thing are easily aroused. Don't do it.

property.advert

Reality and urban myth are never good bedfellows. Most people who decry this activity are either in the catchment area or can't or won't move and yet seem to think others should suffer the same fate.

Our admissions were all online. The closing date was 15th January. You needed to put in a council tax reference. If you could not, then you would p[erhaps have to show a lease etc. Results out in April.

The LA will have a cut off date. To gain admission you need to be registered at the property on that date. Follow the rules and that is the end of it but obviously don't go bragging down the pub !