Parents' fraud over school places

Urban or Welsh-medium schools have more chance of being over-subscribed

The scale of fraudulent or misleading applications for school places in Wales has been revealed.

More than a third of local councils have uncovered some level of fraudulent pupil applications over recent years.

Parents have been found using the address of a relative living in the desired catchment area, or a second or rented home where they did not live.

The information was uncovered by BBC Wales' Eye on Wales programme following a Freedom of Information request.

In Caerphilly, there were 30 such applications each year over a three-year period.

In most cases, councils had refused the applications or they were withdrawn by parents.

I think this shows how important [this is], and what lengths some people will go to, to try and get themselves into the school of their choice

Prof David Egan, UWIC

Parents are entitled to apply for any school they wish for their child, but some, particularly in urban areas, or Welsh-medium schools, are over-subscribed.

Education authorities set their own admissions criteria for deciding who gets spare places over and above the children living in the catchment area.

In some heavily subscribed areas, even children living within the catchment may not get a place.

Professor David Egan, director of the Centre for Applied Education Research at UWIC, in Cardiff, told the programme people usually chose the local community school they wanted their children to attend, or picked Welsh medium or faith schools which were available in the area if they preferred that type of education.

However he added: "But then you move to Cardiff, obviously, or to Swansea - certainly into the two major cities of Wales - inevitably, where there are a range of schools, where there are highly-performing schools, and schools that are in challenging circumstances, where performance is not as strong, then these issues will kick in."

FALSE BIDS FOR SCHOOL PLACES

Caerphilly 30 per year over three years

Cardiff nine in one year

Merthyr Tydfil three per year

Swansea four in three years

Source: Eye on Wales

Peter Fox from the Welsh Local Government Association said: "Clearly, the WLGA could never condone the act of anybody doing anything fraudulent to gain a place in schools.

"But I think this shows how important [this is], and what lengths some people will go to, to try and get themselves into the school of their choice.

"Often, they may have moved into the area, they may have bought a house in an area almost with an expectation that they felt they could get to their desired school, and clearly that doesn't always happen because obviously, when a school is full, those criteria kick in again which can actually sometimes discriminate against children who live right next-door to the school."

Cardiff High School is one of Wales' oversubscribed schools, with approximately 270 applications per year for 210 new pupil intake places.

Head teacher Mike Griffiths said half of the 60 who did not receive a place would appeal against the decision.

He said applications were gone through "in minute detail, because obviously they need total convincing� you have to prove it's your main residence."

Eye on Wales is broadcast on BBC Radio Wales on Monday at 1830 GMT.