Renting house to get into a good school

Andypandyboy

aj9648 wrote: »

Hi

This is probably morally wrong but wanted to get some opinions on it.

We are looking into schools and DS has turned 3. Schools closest in catchment area are pretty awful and really dont want to send him there

There is a school the other way from where (and on the way to my work) that is an outstanding school - its only 2.5ish miles away.

We were talking about how we could potentially rent a house close to the school to enable acceptance into the school. We would not be living there.....after 12 months tell the school we have moved.....

Is that naughty? Wrong? Or just playing the system?

You would have to change the address your Child Benefit is paid to as that is the address that is used. If the school suspects that it is not kosher they could withdraw the offer of a place at the last minute.

Timeflies

aj9648 wrote: »

Is that naughty? Wrong? Or just playing the system?

Maybe the word you're looking for is fraud

marleyboy

Its certainly no guarantee of securing a place in a particular school, most schools are already fully booked well in advance of the new term.

Ultimately, to deprive a family of a place to live, just for the off chance of maybe getting a school placement for a child, is not only morally wrong, its extremely selfish.

Pixie5740

Wouldn't it be cheaper to send your child to private school rather than pay rent, council tax (some councils charge 200% for empty properties) and utilities on two properties, especially if you have to do it for 2 years before your child starts school.

I'm also not sure how the LL would feel about their property being empty most of the time. It might invalidate their insurance policies or lead to the property becoming cold and damp.

booksurr

theEnd wrote: »

The whole thing's ridiculous. Only the rich can afford to live near the good schools. Needs looking at.

the schools are good because the kids at them are better, the reason the kids are better is because they come from a different home environment to those whose parents are poor

comprehensive education is fundamentally flawed in being a race to the bottom. If being rich short circuits that nonsense then go and get rich and then make sure your kids apply the lesson that got you there: with application comes reward.

Halle71

Why don't you rent out your current property at the same time?
Plenty of people do that for other reasons so your new home would be your genuine residence. And it wouldn't cost you as much :-)

We live in SW London where school places are ridiculous. We were pretty chilled out about primary schools as our closest is 'good' all round and where all dd's friends go, but we have just moved to a house within the catchment area of an outstanding secondary school. There's a street that's well know for supplying rental properties to out of catchment Balham families. I can see it from both sides - I understand the motivation but would be pretty annoyed if we lose out because of these families.

Pixie5740

booksurr wrote: »

the schools are good because the kids at them are better, the reason the kids are better is because they come from a different home environment to those whose parents are poor

comprehensive education is fundamentally flawed in being a race to the bottom. If being rich short circuits that nonsense then go and get rich.

What really makes the school good though? I went to a school in an affluent suburb which is constantly listed as one of the top schools in Scotland. Most of that is based on exam results and I know that a lot of people in my year (not me though) had tutors throughout their standard grades and highers. Being spoon fed is what got them through exams with decent marks and what lead quite a few of them to cocking up university where, all of a sudden, the little darlings had to think for themselves. The horror.

georgiasmum

As a teacher I would question the validity of a' good school' tag and what Ofsted/Ofcrap say. A school is only as good as the kids in it and the motivation to learn comes from home. Most good schools have good data which makes them look good.

I am a secondary teacher and would be grateful if they could read when they arrived and all of my feeder schools are rated 'good' or better. Pixie's post makes sense!

If your child is U5 it is important that you get him /her school ready. My friend teaches KS1 (R-2) and she has them not toilet trained etc...

It is fraud to lie about your home address tho to get into a school!

Davesnave

Quizzing my local Labour councillor on their choice of school, which was not one with the best statistics, I received the reply:

"Sure, their pass rate is somewhat lower, but as they receive fewer lads like my son, you can bet they'll look after him. I'll take care of his motivation."

Judging by the end result, she wasn't wrong.

jjlandlord

The issue is that it is considered that "it comes from home", and that all schools get about the same resources.
Basically those from problems families will fail by design.

A real help would be to give a massive push to schools in such areas starting from primary schools (that's where the difference is made).
I'm talking no more than 15 pupils per class and until 6pm everyday for real problem areas.