Almost a quarter of parents have flouted admissions rules to get their child into their preferred local school, with 5pc admitting to bribing their way in. 

A survey by property website Zoopla found that 24pc of parents admitted to lying or breaking school application rules. 

Among the parents who worked the system, 27pc admitted to exaggerating their religious affiliation or pretending to be religious in order to get into a faith school.

Others lied about where they lived. Over a fifth said they registered their child at a family member’s address, while one in 10 said they lived somewhere they didn’t. Some 8pc said they temporarily rented a second home within the catchment area during the application process to secure a place.

These tactics are all to avoid the sky-high house prices near well-rated schools. Around 28pc of parents said they had moved house to within the catchment area of their desired school. Zoopla found that living near a top-rated school commands an average property price premium of £82,960. In London that sum rises to £209,599. 

Competitive parents are also taking to these extremes to ensure a place at in-demand schools that are oversubscribed in a postcode lottery. Across England, 9.8pc of pupils missed out on their first primary school choice last year. In London, this rose to 13pc.

One in six parents who admitted they bent the rules said they made a “voluntary donation” to a particular school ahead of applying, while 5pc confessed to offering a bribe. 

Others offered their time, with a fifth saying they volunteered at a school ahead of applying for their child’s place, while 14pc said they became “friendly” with senior figures at the school in order to curry favour.

Despite the high proportion of rule-bending parents, the majority surveyed said the practice was unfair and should be stopped, while 6pc admitted to reporting other parents for doing so.