Parents' anger at grammar school places

They believe that the children's parents have temporarily rented or bought property in the catchment area for those schools so that they obtain a local address, meaning that they are allocated places at the sought after schools, while other children who live in the area are forced to miss out.
This year, the issue has come to a head, after a large number of boys missed out on places at their first choice grammar schools because an unusually high number of them passed their 11 plus exams.
Judith Huang of Gerrards Cross, whose son Justin Lutterbuese, 11, has been allocated to Chesham High after missing out on a place at Royal Grammar School, said: "This is something that needs investigating by Bucks County Council.
"It is completely unfair if boys from this area who have worked really hard to pass their 11 plus are missing out on places because other parents from outside the county are playing the system.
"It is cheating, that is all there is to it, and something needs to be done to stop it."
Bucks County Council said that they were aware that there is a problem, and said they have policies in place to prevent it from happening.
Debbie Munday, Buckinghamshire's Admissions Manager, said: "We do know parents try it on. Our process is given in some detail in our parents' guide. We and schools work closely to ensure that places are given to legitimate applicants and we will investigate and withdraw places if evidence comes to light which suggests that the parents and child are not, and will not, actually reside in Buckinghamshire.
"We keep the residents' requirements under constant review, for instance in the determined admission arrangements for 2010 we will be expecting parents to actually be resident in Buckinghamshire by 13 November, before results are known, in order to be included in the first admission round."
To read the council's policy, visit www.buckscc.gov.uk and follow the link to Schools Admissions through the A to Z section.