One in four parents bent rules to get child into preferred schools

Nearly one in four parents have bent the rules or "played the system" to increase the likelihood of getting their child into their preferred school, a survey suggests.

A study by Zoopla shows that around 17% of parents said they lied, bent or broke admissions rules to try to get their child into a good school, while a further 7% said they played the system to their advantage.

It is believed that parents are breaking school admissions criteria to avoid paying an average £82,960 premium on homes in the catchment area of a high-performing school, according to Zoopla.

5% of parents offered schools a bribe to get a place

Among those who flouted the rules, 16% said they made a "voluntary donation" to the school before a place was confirmed and 5% said they offered a bribe, according to the survey of 1,000 parents of children aged between four and 16 across the UK.

The findings come ahead of primary school application deadline day this week.

Among the parents who admitted to bending the rules or playing the system, 27% said they exaggerated their religious affiliation or attended religious services in order to get into a faith school.

Meanwhile, more than a fifth (21%) said they registered their child at a family member's address that was closer to their preferred school, one in 10 lied about their home address, and 8% said they temporarily rented a second home within the catchment area.

Daniel Copley, a consumer expert at Zoopla, said: "We were blown away by the figures showing just how many parents are going to extreme lengths to get their kids into the preferred school, which suggests the practice is endemic to the application process and widespread across the country."

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: "It is depressing to hear that a significant minority of parents resort to bending admissions rules to obtain places in certain schools, and a sign of the intense competition which sometimes exists around school places.

"The survey points out that this takes different forms, but in respect of its finding on 'bribes' such as parents offering donations to a school, we would like to make it very clear that schools are not susceptible to such inducement and that attendance criteria is scrupulously applied by admissions authorities.

"That aside, the wider issue here is the fact that competitive pressure for school places is often driven by Ofsted ratings with parents chasing places at schools with 'good' or 'outstanding' ratings.

"The government needs to put a much greater focus on improving the level of support it offers to schools which face the greatest challenges so that every family has access to a good local school and there is much less pressure over school places."

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