A quarter of parents lie to get their child into desired school
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Parents admit to exaggerating religious beliefs and using a family member’s address. More than a quarter of parents are bending the rules to get their child into their preferred school, a survey has suggested. Parents lied, bent or broke the rules, according to Zoopla, and the number doing do continues to grow.
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The proportion of families who admitted to flouting the rules or playing the system rose from 24 per cent in 2022 to 27 per cent this year. The poll found that 5 per cent of parents said they lied, bent or broke the rules to help get their child into their preferred school, while a further 12 per cent said they had “slightly bent” some of the rules and told “white lies”.
Meanwhile, a further 10 per cent said they had played the system to their advantage. The survey was carried out among 1,019 people across the UK who applied for a school place for their child or children in the last five years. Among the parents who admitted to bending the rules or playing the system, 30 per cent said they registered their child at another family member’s address that was closer to the school, and 25 per cent said they exaggerated their religious beliefs or attended religious services in order to secure a school place.
Meanwhile, nearly one in 10 (9 per cent) said they temporarily rented a second home inside the catchment area, while 7 per cent said they moved into a catchment area only to leave once their child’s place was secured. The Labour Government’s policy to apply VAT to private schools – which came into effect earlier this month – may have contributed to the increase in families flouting the rules, a consumer expert at Zoopla has suggested.
