Website of the UK government

The report and why it was needed

Children, Schools and Families Secretary Ed Balls asked the Chief Schools Adjudicator, Ian Craig, to review the issue. His request came after the high-profile case of a mother who lied about her address to a Harrow school. The council attempted to take legal action, but later dropped the case.

According to the report:

• an estimated 3,500 parents a year commit school places fraud (a tiny percentage, as 1.7 million admission offers a year are made in all primary and secondary schools)
• nearly half of local authorities (LAs) have experienced the problem
  
• most LAs withdraw places, but 15 per cent are reluctant to do so after school term begins
  
• 61 per cent of LAs thought that current sanctions (the withdrawal of places) were sufficient
• nearly 40 per cent thought that prosecution should be a possible sanction

Conclusions of the report

In summing up the report, Ian Craig wrote that "additional disincentives are required". He also expressed the need for "a media campaign to underline the fact that every place obtained by a parent through deception has the consequence of depriving another child of their ‘rightful’ place".

The report was based on questionnaires completed by LAs. It was presented as part of the Office of the Schools Adjudicator's 2008-2009 annual report, and may be viewed at their website.

• Office of the Schools Adjudicator Opens new window

School places fraud: what is it?

Fraudulent or misleading applications are a problem at oversubscribed schools (schools with more applications than places). Most UK schools are not affected. The types of fraud that might affect a particular school are linked to its admission policy.

School admission policies (the basics)

A school that is oversubscribed awards places according to its admission policy. The factors it takes into account may include:

• distance from the child's permanent home address
• the child's faith (a factor at faith schools)
• sibling rule (places offered because a brother or sister already attends the school)
  

Fraudulent or misleading applications

Many, though not all, misleading school applications relate to putting an incorrect address on an application form. Common types of fraud revealed in the report include:

• giving the address of a relative with the same name, so that utility bills match if the application is checked
  
• renting a property near a popular school and listing it as the child's permanent address
  
• listing business premises as a home address
  
• pretending to have practised a particular faith for years, to win a place at a faith school
  
• pretending that a student with the same surname who attends the school is a child's brother or sister, to gain a place using the sibling rule
  

Further information

• Find out about the Office of the Schools Adjudicator Opens new window

• Find out how Ofsted inspects schools Opens new window

More on Directgov

• Schools, learning and development (parents section)

• Choosing a school (parents section)

• Finding a school to suit your child (parents section)