Parents caught lying in bid for school place

MORE than 20 parents lied to try to their child admitted to their favoured school in Birmingham but were caught out by investigators, according to a shocking new report.

- JANE HAYNES People & Politics Editor

In every case the offer of a school place was withdrawn following investigation by Birmingham City Council's counter fraud team.

The 25 were among 43 suspected false applications probed by the team, many of them the result of tip-offs from the public.

The cases illustrate the lengths parents will go to in order to get their child into the 'best' school for them, even if they are out of the catchment area or fail to meet other strict criteria.

The 'fake applications' issue is now so significant that the council is considering bringing in a full time school admissions fraud officer, a meeting was told.