Positive stories please of moving schools.

[jollyholly]

Particularly if your dh/dp was opposed to it.

Thanks

[sunnydelight]

I have made the decision to move one of my kids on three different occasions now, and each time it has turned out for the best. First time DS1 had been in the same primary since reception and I wanted to move him at the beginning of Y5 (won't go into long and boring details why). DH didn't really understand to start with, but once he had moved he saw where I was coming from. He totally supported the decision to move DS2 at the end of Y1 and that worked out well too.

When we moved to Oz last year we put DS1 into the local high school. I knew after 5 weeks that he would probably be happy there, but would end up with a crap education so instigated (researched, nagged into attending open night, got forms, arranged interview etc.) a move which turned out to be the best thing we ever did. Again, DH probably would have left him where he was but agreed with my rationale (and I had a track record of making good choices at that stage ). I am firmly of the opinion now that you don't just "put up with it" if a school isn't working for YOUR child and you have a choice. Good luck.

[swedishmum]

Moved dd at Christmas Y5 and ds in May Y4 and it was the best thing I ever did. From a school in one village to the school in the village up the road. Socially and academically they did far better and we were all much much happier. Dd is now Y8 and ds Y7. I did have very good reasons though. As a child, my parents moved me from school to school far too often and that definitely wasn't good - I was on my 6th school at the age of 9!

[jollyholly]

Thank you. Anyone else?

[delightedoldbag34]

I recently moved my 7 yr old from a tiny village state primary to a private school (which in comparison is huge). She was unsettled and missed her friends for about a week and has been loving it ever since. No real problems at all except that the girl who was meant to be her buddy wasn't very good at it - but once she found a couple of new friends she hasn't looked back.
Best thing I've done for her. No regrets.
Dh was unsure about the move (to private school esp) but even he now admits it's been the best thing for her.
Everyone is happy, especially DD!

[essexgel]

Moved our DS1 from a school that wasn't right for him and it almost failed it's ofsted. Moved him to a far nice, friendlier school in YR summer term. Best thing ever. Shudder when I think of him back in first school.

[essexgel]

YR1 summer term. DH wasn't opposed but I was more the driving force as I could see the school wasn't doing great.

[savoycabbage]

I moved my dd from the nursery that was a part of the 'best' primary school in the area. It was a difficult decision. All the other parents raved about the nursery and the school.The school had the attitude that as they were over subscribed I was lucky that she had a place at all.

She had been going to pre-school with the same children for months before and was not at all a confident child. My dh thought it would be detrimental to move her as she was perfectly happy. I took her out and put her back in her pre-school with children who were a year younger.

Some of the other parents stopped speaking to me afterwards but it was the right thing to do. The nursery was awful and the school riding on the reputation of a year before.

My dd started at a different school in September. She is very happy and made new friends straight away. A lot of parents at the other school are unhappy with it now. I am so glad that I moved her when I did.

[LynetteScavo]

I moved my DS when he went into Y4.

He's the most nervous child ever (part of the reason we moved him) and he really has been fine, and flourished.

I was far more nervousn than him on the first day.

[stillenacht]

Am going to move my DS1 (in year 5 at mo) out of a vg state primary (or so its said!) to independent so that he can repeat year 5 next academic year for a variety of reasons (inc being the youngest in year and having disabled sibling at home)...i am hoping it is the right thing to do but i am sick to death of saying every year - well, we will see how this year goes - with no positive outcome

[Flowertop]

Moved DS1 and DS2 - years 4 and 2. Hard decision, as you I kept putting it off to see how the current school year went. Wasted 2 years of my kids education. Academically best thing I did for them but socially think that DS2 has suffered a little as he has not fitted into friendships as much as he would have liked. I still believe it is the best thing I did for them and hope that the friendship issues will be resolved as time goes on.
We have more choice today and it is normal to move kids around. I think that it does them good sometimes to make changes and to know that in life things don't always remain the same. I think so long as you don't move them too much.
Good luck

[Bink]

Moved ds (yr 5) twice (half-way through yr 3, and at start of yr 5), dd (yr 3) once (at start of yr 2). Each move was for very straightforward reason of the destination school being the next 'right' one for particular child, so no worries about the right thing as matter of principle ...

Slowest start has been ds's second move, this term - until towards the end of term he was still saying he didn't have any real friends (despite other kids appearing to be perfectly welcoming) - but ds is anyway one of those slow & cautious friend-makers, and as of now he's definitely on the way with at least two boys.

Dd is not a slow & cautious friend-maker - as she says herself she'll make friends with a paper bag if that's all on offer - she was a bit shy for the first 10 mins of her first school day, and then grew wings. Big concern will be what will happen at the end of year 6 - she'll be in floods.

[piscesmoon]

My DS moved successfully in year 4 from a small village school to a large 2 form entry junior school. We moved area and had to do it, he was at one school on the Fri and the new one on the Mon. It was fine, but I had chosen the house to be in the catchment area of the school I liked. Although it was much larger it worked in a very similar way. It turned out that the boy next door was in the same class which helped.

[catweazle]

Moved DS2 to a private school at the end of Y2. Then moved DS3 to a different state school when we found out at the end of Y2 that he had spent the whole term sitting outside the head's office (and they hadn't told us ). Best thing we ever did.

[jollyholly]

Thank you, this is just what I wanted to hear

[Fennel]

My dds moved twice, mid-term, once when they were 5 and 4 and then again, unexpectedly, when they were 6 and 5. Because we moved house twice in a year. all state primaries but one medium city one, one large suburban one, and now a little village school.

They were fine, both times, in fact the second time they had a say in the matter and were happy to move to the new local school.

We did notice that the national curriculum was quite useful as they slotted in to the same syllabus they'd left, each time.

[sunnydelight]

I've just seen your other thread jollyholly about your daughter's current school situation. Why is your DH so against moving her? It seems like a no brainer to me (I'm not being rude btw, but when you read what is happening as an outsider it's hard to see why he is so against it).

[bloss]

Message withdrawn

[Bink]

That's a good bit at the end of your post, bloss - yes, moving schools can be an eye-opener. Dd is the sort of child who tries to make a go of anything, and she was perfectly happy at the previous school - but having moved her to the current one, where she not just happy but also engaged and inspired - the difference is a revelation. Following all our shifts, we do feel like rather savvier service-users.

[Fennel]

Not sure it always works like that Bink, we liked all 3 of our schools more or less equally, and the dds seemed equally happy at all 3. I don't know which school I'd choose if we had equal access to them.

We seem to be rather unfussy on the schools front, with supremely insensitive children.

[jollyholly]

Thank you for all of your comments.

SunnyD, I think it's just that it's such a big thing to move them. It's all they've ever known - and you're quite right Bloss, if we knew how different a good school was we'd probably have them out of there like a shot. But the schools that I would consider moving them to (I am quite particular - I want a school with at least average if not more L5 KS2 sats as dd's are bright and I don't want them to be in the minority, as I feel that would cause a problem in itself!) are full - although one has said to call back in January as they may have spaces then. We've also been to look around an independent school which I loved - and I'd be prepared to make the sacrifices for it (ie cutting back and getting myself another/2nd job) if dh felt the same - which he doesn't. He felt it was too posh and felt out of his depth. Perhaps that's my problem with other schools - I really want the independent..

[scarletlilybug]

I moved dd in September because she simply wasn't happy at the last school. Best thing we ever did for her - she has absolutely blossomed.
Also echo waht Bloss says - we thought dd's first school was fine educationally (and so did Ofsted). Yet the difference in standards of education and behaviuor and general expectattions has been jaw-dropping. I think until you have first hand experience of different schools, it's hard to judge what makes a good school. And also, of course, it depends on the child. Dd's new school is quite pressured, but dd thrives on the sense of purpose. I'm sure other children would absolutely hate it.

[marialuisa]

Your DH is so wide of the mark about the "posh" element of the independent it's untrue.....There are some people with money, of course, but "posh", no way.

[marialuisa]

Should add tha i'm not stalking, accidental click and got sucked in!

[jollyholly]

marialuisa! We're going to see my cousin at a family party at the weekend, and her dd is in Yr 5 at your school so perhaps she'll be able to talk to him.

[sunnydelight]

Fingers crossed that there might be space for them in January then jollyholly I really feel for you on the independent thing - I would clean toilets if I had to to pay the school fees for my three, having finally found "the right school" after all these years! DH still winces every time the bill comes in (and by UK standards the fees are very low) but he can see how much better it is than anywhere they've been before.