School allocation system ‘being abused by dishonest parents’

The parent, who has not been named, says the city’s population is growing fast and the petition says the system is “flawed” because the majority of schools and nurseries only require a child’s details in the form of a birth certificate.

“For dishonest parents the process is a very simple one. Give a fraudulent address when your child is due to or has started nursery or school.

“Because the application address is only checked against the list of addresses provided by the previous school or nursery, places are being given to the children of these dishonest parents...

“The simple way of helping to reduce the amount of fraudulent applications is by requesting proof of address.

“Because of Bradford’s infant situation the over subscription and sibling rule should also be looked into.

“When a school has received more applications than places available the criteria on allocating placements should be looked at to ensure a fair decision to all children not just siblings.”

The petitioner adds that waiting lists for school placements is another issue that causes concern.

“A parent who has been given no option but to accept a place they know is not suitable for their child surely should be classed as a higher priority as to those who have received one of their requested schools.

“If a parent receives one of the schools requested they should be asked if they wish to stay on other waiting lists and why.

“By doing this it will help reduce waiting lists and make the system fairer to those who have been forced to accept an unacceptable school.”

The petition concludes by saying the appeals process should be changed so to “give parents more of a chance rather than false hope.”

A report to the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee says when a parent signs the application form the “parent is required to sign a declaration that all information provided is correct.

“It is also made clear that a place obtained fraudulently may be withdrawn.”

The report adds that Bradford has contacted other local authorities in Yorkshire and Humber, receiving eight responses, none of which ask for proof of residency with the application form.

The author says many of the local authorities have a similar process to Bradford’s and “one appears to make no checks at all”.

In addition, because there is no requirement in the School Admissions Code to require parents to prove residence it would not be possible to “make it ‘compulsory’ for parents to do so”.

Regarding fraudulent applications Bradford receives more than 20,000 applications for school places every year and since January 23 checks have been made when the authority has had cause for concern regarding a child’s address.

“Of these only four were found to be fraudulent. In a recent Ombudsman’s report it was stated that the Ombudsman was satisfied with the actions the local authority took in investigating incidences of fraudulent applications where parents provided falsified information.”

Coun Chris Greaves, (Ind, Wharfedale), said: “It’s an issue not just peculiar to Bradford but unfortunately many parents seem to regard providing false information to education authorities as socially acceptable.

“It is quite bizarre – would they think it was OK to provide false financial information in the same way?”

Various options are considered by the report including a review of the admissions policy on the issue of providing proof of residency. Any changes would require consultation.