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Address con pupils lose places
Wednesday 1st August 2007, 5:00PM BST.
Children in the Dudley borough have had secondary school places withdrawn after their parents were exposed as using fake addresses.
Education chiefs at Dudley Council launched a series of investigations after reports of fraudulent applications for places at several popular schools including Hillcrest School, Netherton.
The Express & Star revealed in May some parents give the address of a grandparent or other relative living near their preferred school, as distance is a factor taken into consideration.
The con came to light after 52 children in Dudley Wood who selected Hillcrest School as their first choice were refused a place and instead offered one at Pedmore Technology College three miles away.
The council was called on to investigate and assistant director of children’s services, Ray Watson, confirmed a number of children have lost their places because of their parents’ dishonesty. Head teacher at Hillcrest School, April Garratt, backed the education officers’ actions.
Councillor Bryan Cotterill said: “When I am getting parents coming to see me in tears because their son or daughter has been refused a place at a school a stone’s throw away then we should be taking it seriously.”
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It is unfortunate that parents have to resort to using other addresses but they at least have some connection with the area and obviously the school. A historical link that should be considered as important in considering applications.
This is less of a problem than those who buy into an area to get the correct postcode. Is length of time at an address used as a criteria? Schools serve an area, grandparents and their relatives are a part of the “richer” community.
I wonder who regulates the old technology and new academies because the same problem occurs there too. They are outside the education departments beady eyes – what is good for the goose is good for the ……
Education for all?
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you cannot blame parents for wanting the best education for their children, if the school is good more resources should be made available for it to be able to provide more spaces, market forces prevail in almost every other aspect of our lives so why should they not here, or is that just the prerogative of the wealthy who can afford private eductaion. If I recall correctly Tony Blair’s children were admitted to The Oratory miles away from No. 10 at the expense of admitting more local children, and what about Diane Abbot.
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Under New Labour’s education ‘egalitarianism’ working class children who show promise can choose from selection by postcode (assuming they have the good fortune to live near to a good school), selection by lottery… and now selection by can-I-hoodwink-the-school-into-thinking-I-live-somewhere-where-I-actually-don’t. Everything, in fact, except selection by ability. Perhaps, therein lies the moral to this tale.
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Another case of the postcode lottery in the United Kingdom and an example of how far parent’s will go in order to secure a decent education for their children.
Sadly it’s not a new thing. I remember in 1995 when I started secondary school; Hillcrest was the first choice for only 60 pupils because of it’s reputation and achievements. The majority of parent’s trying to get their children into Earls’, Thorns etc. by whatever means possible.
Thankfully, as Castle High was voluntary aided myself and my brother were accepted into the School due to my Dad being a former pupil of the Grammer School – the result was I recieved a better education then my friend’s who went to Hillcrest who have told me they were given up as a lost clause when the Dame showed up a few years later.
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just goes to show…..lie and you get caught out!!!!
I have no sympathy!!!
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i guess the person names “Anonymous1″ doesn’t have children, if they did, they would not respond with such a comment
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Why don’t the council just check the electoral roll to see if the Parents therefore the children live at the address provided .
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I have kids.
just goes to show …. lie and you get caught out!!!!!
I have no sympathy.
What does this teach our children? If you don’t get what you want then cheat and lie. I wonder why there are so many groups of feral kids roaming the streets at night with parents who either don’t care or don’t bother to find out.
If they are taking the place of kids who do live close then shame on them.
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The parents doing this are at least showing that they genuinly want the best possible education for their kids. On the otherhand. If the standard of every school was brought upto scratch, then there would`nt be any need for the concerned parents to do this type of thing, would there?
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