Been priced out- having to move DC's school?

If they move out of catchment they would risk both their youngest being in a different school and then have 3 sets of high school risks if they manage the first thing. Personally if you move OP I’d move schools asap so they have plenty of time to settle. I’m in Edinburgh so know the Scotland system

The OP hasn’t said the current school is sought after and her suggested house prices don’t indicate somewhere particularly prestigious, she could easily check how many placing requests are received -v- accepted for her primary school. Transition to high school is pretty much assumed from a feeder primary, certainly in my local authority and the one I work for.

Catchment trumps siblings in Scotland. Our catchment areas are fixed so an address can't be catchment one year and not the next.

I know. Did you read the quote I was responding to? It was misinformation about England.

I would bite the bullet and move. Provided you cam find the right house and school catchments for primary and secondary. It's the right thing to do to create the best long term.

Oh think u might have to move op - the quicker the better

Every state school we looked at for DC, across two different councils in London prioritise sibling places above catchment. It is definitely a thing in some area of England, but not sure if same would apply in Scotland. Might be worth a check, though.

Placement requests are unlikely in the sought after primary schools in Glasgow. The further issue the OP may also have is if they move out of the catchment for the feeder high school there is a good chance they won’t get a spot. Better to move a primary age kid than risk having a first year unable to go to high school with their class mates.

The OP is in Glasgow. Not England.

Not true in England unfortunately. LAs have different priority system but Siblings - Out of Catchment is not always above No Sibling - In Catchment.

Another vote for trusting your kids to settle in a new school. Much harder moving them in four years time when they have really established friends.

I agree totally. Kids adjust quickly. Go for a 4 bed house

I am in Edinburgh and siblings are not guaranteed a place at a school. Her current kids could stay where they are but the new one has no guarantee. They can apply of course but it depends on the catchment and the numbers at that time.

But they're so little I'd move asap if you're going to anyway. No need for a 4 bedroom if you're just thinking of the kids as obviously two of them could share forever. There are also plenty of people who share with 3 in a room as well if you really don't want to move.

They'll honestly forget about the old place surprisingly quickly. We moved house a few years ago and my kids have almost no memory of the old house.

Is there any chance of commuting from a different area to the school? Is the school over subscribed? When your baby is born you'll still have children in that primary school, don't they also count that as priority for a place in Scotland?

Although personally I'd just move and get it done. You'll put roots down again and DC will be too little to be that upset about friends.

Why wouldn’t younger sibling get in - surely they would if one of the older two is still there? Or has your council introduced a sibling catchment rule too?

I think move further away is unavoidable. Choose somewhere with decent primaries and then you can either move the older two (maybe not immediately but once they’ve got used to new house/area), or keep them where they are and do the long school run, and third child is sorted either way.

Is it a tenement or modern flat? If it’s a tenement, do you have a lounge and a separate dining kitchen? If you’re really keen to keep the kids in schools and have the third baby, then can you and your partner change living room into bedroom and use kitchen as family space?

Not ideal, but none of your options are and as pp said people have been raising families in tenements like this since they were built.

At their ages, how you present the move will make a big difference to their attitude towards it.

You need to big up the positives ("oh look, we've got room for a trampoline in the garden" sort of thing) for the house, then "look we can can walk to this school, and your new friend Timmy can walk with you). If you concentrate on the negatives they will pick up on it.

Unless the new school is truly bad obviously. If its just that its different, they will gain more from being local.

Why do you need a four bed? Can you save until you have enough to afford a 3 bed?

You will either have to make it work or hope that they adapt well. Have you looked into schools in an area you can afford?

Hmm. Having had terrible experiences with my children’s Scottish primary schools, if it’s a good school with low violence I’d put up with any housing situation to keep my kids there.

They probably will - allowances are made for siblings - not that i am saying this should be the only factor. We're n scotland also (Edinburgh) and personally know people where this has been the case! (No guarantee, speak to the HT...)

I think all squeezing in and making it work is madness for a school at this stage. Home life matters too and there will be other good schools. They'll barely remember this school in a few years, esp for the one in P1. Families move all the time without lasting trauma and regret.

My comment will differ from the others but I don't think it's necessary to move. Yes, a 2 bed can be a bit of a squeeze but plenty of our friends in London live in 2 bed flats with 2-3 kids, it's absolutely doable. You can move houses when you're a bit more comfortable financially in the next few years.

You could move and put in a placing request for your youngest, there are very few primary schools in Glasgow where a placing request isn’t granted and you could apply on the basis of your older two going to the same school.

The kids will adapt - they might not be happy at first but they’ll cope with a move. you might find the new place is as good as the old place or better! Especially when you sell them a new bedroom each and a nice garden?