Mrinal Patel, cheating Harrow school mum, should not be prosecuted.
By Lopa Patel (2 June 2009)

Mrinal Patel, 41, mother of Rhys Patel, is being prosecuted by the London Borough of Harrow for allegedly lying about her home address in order to secure a place for her son at top-performing Pinner Park First School. Mrs Patel has pleaded not guilty to the charge that could leave her with a fine of up to £1000 and up to five years in prison. Many in the Asian community feel that Mrs Patel is being made a "scapegoat" in a borough that has a high ethnic population. David Ashton, leader of the council, said: "our first duty is to ensure that the admissions system is scrupulously fair and seen to be so."

Mrs Patel applied to the popular Pinner Park First School, which received 411 applications for 90 places in September 2008. Harrow Council says it allocates places to children living closest, up to a maximum of 0.685 miles away from the school. Mrs Patel applied in January 2008, claiming that she lived in Willow Court, Fulbeck Way, which is within the catchment area for the school in Melbourne Avenue. However, the Council claims that she has been living in Streatfield Road - outside the catchment area, yet only 2 miles away from the school - since 1994. After offering her son a place, council investigators challenged her claims and withdrew the place. Rhys Patel has since been put into a private school.

In an unprecedented move, Harrow Council then decided to proceed with a private prosecution under the Fraud Act. Harrow magistrates have adjourned the case until 8 July 2009, when legal arguments will be heard in front of a district judge.

Mrinal Patel: 'A scapegoat in a rigged game'

There has been considerable outrage from the Indian community with one reader commenting to Redhotcurry.com "The school admission system is corrupt in its current form. Discipline in poor performing schools is hard to tackle and forces parents to go round looking for alternative options. Parents trying to do best for their children can easily be caught in wrong doing."

A recent report, launched in May 2009, from the Department of Children, Schools and families (DCSF) showed that a baby boom is creating an urgent shortage of primary school places and forcing primary schools in England to break the law and teach more than 10,000 children in classes of over 30 pupils. Councils in London estimated a shortage of 2,250 places this September, rising to over 5,000 next year. Some schools have already provided temporary buildings and expanded class sizes.

Boroughs like the London Borough of Harrow also have the added pressure of migrants and their families, who often do not appear in the statistics at the time of publication, but do need to be accommodated by the local services.

State funded faith schools discriminate against Asian children

Add to this the exclusion of Asian children from state-funded faith schools, which can account for up to 35% of places in London Boroughs, it is easy to see why "bottle necks" in schools admissions places can force parents to take extreme measures.

Humanists call for an end to religious discrimination in schools

The British Humanist Association (BHA) today (2 June 2009) welcomed a call by a number of high-profile religious representatives, to end discrimination in state-funded "faith schools". In a joint letter to The Times newspaper, nine members of different religious traditions, including Jewish, Muslim and Christian representatives, describe exceptions in the Equality Bill 2009, currently before Parliament, that allow state-funded "faith schools" to discriminate in admissions and employment as in breach of human rights and 'religiously offensive'.

Andrew Copson, BHA Director of Education, said, 'Most people, whether religious or non-religious, oppose religious discrimination in state-funded schools, and this joint letter reinforces that. We too were deeply disappointed that the Equality Bill 2009 has simply imported the wide exceptions that allow state-funded "faith schools" to discriminate in their admissions, employment and curriculum.'

"We believe that "faith schools" are exclusive and divisive, and there is a growing body of evidence that they are damaging to social cohesion and actually create socio-economic inequalities, as well as religious segregation. It is one of our core aims to campaign for an inclusive schools system, where children of all different backgrounds and beliefs can learn with and from each other. In terms of the Equality Bill specifically, we will be working with others, including the Accord coalition, to pressure Parliament to outlaw religious discrimination in our schools."

Harrow Council has over reacted

In a month where the scandal of MPs expenses and claims have dominated the headlines, many readers feel that this case is an over reaction by Harrow Council. One reader commented, "What we do know is that some MPs failed to pay their Council Tax correctly - therefore there was material benefit to them. Why is it that Harrow Council officers don't seem to be too keen to chase that through the courts?"

Lying, cheating, bribery, moving house, changing their name, changing their faith and even passing off brother's and sister's kids as their own are all tactics that have been used by Asian parents desperate to gain a decent education for their children. Although Mrinal Patel's behaviour may have been abominable, it should not be classed as criminal. Many consider that she and her family have already been punished by the exclusion of her son from Pinner Park First School. Alex Rose, defending Ms Patel said of the prosecution that it was "unprecedented to have reached this stage".

It is hoped that magistrates - who will review the case on 8 July 2009 - will see that the London Borough of Harrow's assertion to be "scrupulously fair " in allocation of places is bogus and that they will throw the case before it reaches the criminal courts.

Until the London Borough of Harrow can provide enough good places for all in the children the borough, perhaps it should refrain from making Mrinal Patel a "scapegoat" in its rigged game of school admission places.