Buy-to-let scam for school places

PARENTS are purchasing buy-to-let flats in affluent areas so they can get their children into good schools.

The scam, which allows parents to give an address within the catchment area of higher-performing schools, is putting even more pressure on places.

The tactic has been brought to light by estate agent Chris Moseley in Windsor, Berkshire as parents from neighbouring “poor relation” Slough, have been buying property in the borough to get its coveted postcode.

The practice, which estate agents believe is going on nationwide, enables families to dodge checks that schools and education authorities make on utility bills to prove home ownership.

Mr Moseley, 55, of estate agents Leyton- Smith and Moseley, said: “Parents are buying a one-bedroom flat and not living here and renting it out but getting a Windsor address. They will buy anything in Windsor and a lot of them are from Slough.”

He urged schools and local authorities to make more extensive checks to ensure parents applying for places actually live in the town.

The royal borough is already struggling to keep up with increasing demand for school places.

Councillor Eileen Quick, who deals with education matters, said she was not aware of the buy-to-let scam but said the authority does get applications from parents giving false addresses.

She said: “We have tried to overcome this by getting people to provide information about gas, electricity and tax bills. People will try to find another way round that if they are determined. It is very difficult to prove they do not live there.”

Last year at least 420 mothers and fathers gave false information on application forms to schools in England.

In most cases, families used grandparents’ and friends’ addresses within catchment areas or temporarily rented property to secure places.

Other parents falsely claimed children had been baptised to get them into faith schools and some adults tried to enrol infants in primary school before they were old enough.

More than 700 children are believed to have had their places withdrawn over the past five years after parents falsified school applications.