Caught... 24 families who lied over address to get into top schools
TWO dozen families have lost school places after parents were caught cheating to get their children into the best classrooms. Desperate mothers and fathers tried to mislead their local council in the hope of getting their offspring into a better school by lying about where they lived.
This year has seen 13 instances of catchment fraud at high schools and 11 at primaries as education chiefs stepped up a crackdown on fraud in Edinburgh.
One family who claimed their home was next door to a school lived four miles away, while other parents invented false leases.
Others claimed to live in homes which were rented to students.
Another family lived in a completely different council area but hoped to get their child enrolled in a primary school in the city.
They were caught out by the City of Edinburgh Council’s fraud team which carried out 1,500 checks. This included audits on all potential S1 places at three of the most popular high schools – James Gillespie’s, Boroughmuir and St Thomas of Aquins.
The figures are up significantly from the six families caught providing false statements and documents to secure class places last year. Paul Godzik, the council’s education convener, said: ‘This is an issue that concerns many parents and we take it very seriously.
‘We warn parents every year that we are actively looking into catchment fraud and if we believe there is a possibility that fraud is being committed we will investigate.
‘If we discover this to be the case we will withdraw the school place. By working with the fraud team we are able to access a greater range of information, including credit checks, and this has allowed us to identify instances of fraud.’
Mr Godzik added: ‘I would urge parents to visit their local schools to see for themselves the fantastic learning environments rather than trying to commit fraud.’
James Gillespie’s topped the list for fraud attempts, with seven places refused, but frauds were uncovered at five other secondaries, including the Royal High.
False claims were also made by parents hoping to enrol children at eight primary schools, including South Morningside, James Gillespie’s, Bruntsfield and Sciennes.
This resulted in the offer of places for the 2016-17 session being withdrawn, with other families abandoning their requests once they discovered they were being investigated.
Alex Ramage, parent representative on the city council’s education committee, welcomed the crackdown.
He said: ‘There’s a lot of anecdotal evidence for this happening and it looks likely to get worse with rising rolls. Most parents play by the rules but this is the only way to ensure fairness.’
In several cases families were also found to be fraudulently claiming council tax benefits and have had to repay money.
Checks are still being made on other schools and it is believed at least six will require further investigation.
Scottish Green education spokesman Melanie Main said it was ‘important’ parents know the council will deal ‘firmly and consistently’ with catchment fraud aimed at getting young people into specific schools.
She added: ‘Every time someone gets a place under false pretences someone else is losing out. But there is also a need to communicate what is positive about all of the schools, so parents don’t feel the need to go to such lengths.’
Parents registering for a school place must provide a council tax demand notice and recent utility bill. If moving home, they need to provide proof of purchase or their tenancy agreement.
If they are moving to a different address, they will also need to provide proof of sale or termination of lease.
‘Looking into catchment fraud’