Would you, could you?
Lie, that is.
To get your child into a good school.
The schools adjudicator in England is expected to call for tougher measures to punish parents who cheat and lie to get their children into good schools. At the moment, the only punishment for trying to beat the system is to have the disputed school place taken away. The chief adjudicator's publishing a report in which he examines the measures some parents use to get their children into their favoured school.
Are you prepared to tell us whether or not you've lied in similar circumstances? Or been "economical with the actualite"?
Listen to PM
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~05~RS~)
Comments
Sign in or register to comment.
I'm sure we are all prepared to tell you Sequin - however it's proving to be a challenge to get on the blog today.
Complain about this comment
Carolyn:
Are you prepared to tell us whether or not you've lied in similar circumstances?
Yes, I would prepared to lie in a second to get into a good school...
N.B: lying is not accepted and, children should understand that...
=Dennis Junior=
Complain about this comment
If every neighbourhood school was a 'good' school parents would not be resorting to lying.
Complain about this comment
Parents should concentrate on making sure their child is "good", not expecting the school to do it for them. Ours is at the nearest school which was what mattered most to us. If children see their parents involved in all sorts of shady machinations to get the child into a "good" school, what sort of life lessons are they learning? And would you want your child in a school with so many sharp-elbowed parents? We didn't even visit the school before sending our child, but I've since been to a concert there and the other parents seemed lovely, the teachers enthusiastic and the children absolutely fine.
Complain about this comment
That's ridiculous, why is it only this thread that has made me re-sign in just now, I moved through several threads to get here, and they all kept me signed in. However this one decided that I was "accessing sensitive information" and they wanted my password "to make sure" it was me! However, when I didn enter my new password, instead of bringing me here, it then took me to my account page and dumped me. Instead of clicking Update, because I didn't need to update anything, I hadn't changed anything had I? I clicked on Back, and wound up back here and signed in.
May I suggest that if this is going to be the palaver that we all have to go through regularly, then you just give up the whole idea for a game of soldiers and forget anyone new every trying to join in, or anyone old carrying on. Too darn much trouble.
Complain about this comment
I would never lie about anything.
It was quite dry here yesterday. Hardly a drop of rain.
Andy Williams can still sing well.
Spaghetti does in fact grow on trees.
This blog is working very smoothly. No problems - not a one. This morning has not been a shambles.
Complain about this comment
And the new BBCiD signin system was very user-friendly and quick
Complain about this comment
6. Preston Firmpiece. Ahhh Blessed be the former voice of Andy Williams. I wish someone had a job called 'BBC Showbiz Truthteller'. Someone needs to tell Andy and Brucie that it's time to 'terminar con dignidad'. Mr Dimbleby would have about 4 weeks left and I'd give Paxo almost a year.
Complain about this comment
..........however, those parents who lie in order to gain a place in a preferable school should be fined heavily. They are denying a place to a valid candidate. How can it be an ok thing to do?
Complain about this comment
You (5) - hmmm, and too many darn typos, post in haste, repent at leisure :o(
Complain about this comment
They've still got selection in Lancashire. If you pass the 11+ then you go to an interview and they make sure you are not from the wrong side of the tracks.
Complain about this comment
Many years ago in the small market town of Croydon I didn't get my first, second or third choice of school, what I was given was a school that was in "special measures" and reminded me of something out of Gaza or the west bank.
My choice was simple; subject my child to a life of under achievement, truancy, drug dealing and failure or against my morals pay to go private.
Like others I paid.
Complain about this comment
Nobody seems to be concerned with bringing all schools on a par with one another so you don't get this farsical situation where (some) parents feel they have to lie to get their child to a "good" school. As an honest, hardworking, non-churchgoer, I felt like a hyprocrit attending church to get my child to the "good" school. So much so I couldn't continue, and feel comfortable with that choice and my daughter has settled well into the local state community school. However, I know many parents who lied to the vicar or warden to get their application forms approved. I can't tell you how many raised eyebrows or "poor you" looks I got from other mothers when comparing which schools our kids were going to. Frankly, I think lying to the Church is worse than not attending!! I just wish we didn't have to make a choice and ALL schools were on a par with one another and kids could attend their LOCAL school. May be I'm a dreamer!!
Complain about this comment
Jane
It is unfortunate that the schooling system is such that many parents (who always tell their children the importance of always telling the truth!) feel obliged to tell lies in order to get their offspring into a decent school. In most cases their lies deceive no one: the priests and ministers who see them in the pews know exactly why they are there. The costs borne by other local schools, however, can sometimes be huge.
Complain about this comment
I think you are falling into a lazy journalistic trap by referring to "good" schools in your coverage of this story. What you mean is "oversubscribed" schools. As an ex-teacher and parent I can tell you that the two are not synonomous. League table rankings reflect, among other things, the social mix of the intake and some "good" schools jealously guard the right to select an advantageous mix. In my experience an indifferent, predominantly middle-class, school may be oversubscribed and by your criterion "good", while a school where dedicated and skilled teachers are making a real difference to less advantaged children's life chances is considered less "good". Let's not be disengenuous here - all to often, "good" is simply code for "largely middle class".
Complain about this comment
If lying parents are fined, but their child allowed to stay at the school they were wheedled into, then won't well-off parents simply see the fine as a price worth paying?
Complain about this comment
I agree Kim - I used the term "good" in inverted commas for that very reason. The "good" church school we considered was very middle-class and boasted the kind of parents who winced at the thought of sending their child to the community state school. Personally, I thought it was stuck up and complacent in its outlook. I'm very happy with the community school so far. Yes, it has a social mix of kids from different backgrounds and some challenging behaviour but it also has a hardworking and dedicated staff.
Complain about this comment
View these comments in RSS