Fraud charges for school roll cheats

Published on Wednesday 7 January 2009 20:57

PARENTS caught lying about where they live in order to get their child into sought-after schools will be charged with fraud, a council warned yesterday.

East Renfrewshire Council is this year asking for four items of proof of address from parents hoping to enrol their child in one of its primary schools.

The local authority, whose academic results have been rated among the best in the country, is tightening the application process as parents try to beat the system.

Tricks include renting a flat in the catchment area for just one week in order to comply.

Now parents hoping to register their son or daughter must produce a birth certificate, a child benefit or family tax credit letter, a council tax letter and a mortgage or rental agreement.

Education leaders will examine the documents and parents suspected of attempting to obtain a school place by fraud will be prosecuted.

Teaching unions said the move was understandable.

A spokesman for the Educational Institute of Scotland said: "This is perhaps one of the more extreme examples of councils seeking proof of address.

"But if the council feels that it's an issue then it's understandable that they choose to go down this route.

"It's down to the council how much proof they ask for and how they choose to pursue any parent who tries to obtain a place by fraudulent means."

East Renfrewshire education convener Alan Lafferty said: "Our first duty is to our own residents to ensure that their children get a place at our schools.

"We're also warning that we'll thoroughly investigate suspicious circumstances and prosecute where necessary as fraudulently attempting to gain a place at one of our schools is at the expense of a child who has a genuine right to be at that school."

East Renfrewshire Council said it investigated 20 cases of attempted false entry last year. In each case parents withdrew when challenged.

The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities said the decision on the enrolment procedure was up to the council.