Has anyone ever moved their DC to a different school and it not worked out?

All other schools round here are awful. 1 out of five isn't in special meausures if I could afford private school I would send her there.
Life is so bloody hard. Our dc deserve the best life poSible.

Elephants, can she go to a school in a different borough but close by?

We moved out dd to a school in another borough as she was also bullied for being academic and tbh all the schools in our borough were pretty much alike.

Oh Elephants, I'm sorry to hear that.

Not really sparkling :( she hasn't had the best start to life (abusive exh) the only other secondary here is in special measures. Not so keen on sending her there.
She cries over going to school and is just worried it will be worse than the day before.

Thanks Elephants, yes he will come back from Germany on the Friday and start new school on the Monday, Gives him 4 weeks to get a bit used to it before they break up for the summer.

Is there an alternative for your DD?

My DD is like your DS sparkling. She is at a school where she is keen to work and doesn't mess about. The "popular" children are the opposite. I have had numerous meetings as DD's problem has turned into full on bullying.

Well done sparkling. I read the thread yesterday and hoped he would choose the school. Will he start as soon as he returns from germany then?

We have to go uniform shopping. That will look odd.

Hooray! well done SparklingDS you made the right choice and won't look back.

Now you can relax and enjoy half term

He has a Germany trip from the existing school which he is keen to go on, so it will be one week at school, Germany trip then he transfers.

He is on a waiting list for the Vacant Seat scheme on the coach. This goes from 6 miles away so fingers crossed. We will know in the summer if he can get a seat.

I will keep an eye on the sets, he is doing v well at the moment so keen he doesn't slide.

I can't believe it's all decided lance.

Sparkling,I'm so pleased that he has decided.

I hope it all works out for him :)

Oh wow. I'd just come back to this thread thinking we'd all abandoned you in your hour of need! That's excellent news 9except for the driving, but I suspect you'll find ways round it).

Good luck with it all. Does he have to go back to the old school in between, after half term?

Be prepared to keep an eye on sets etc for the next while -- DS was plonked into whatever sets had a space at first, and being a lazy little tyke found it veeerry relaxing being in bottom-set German for a while. Had to beg the new school to bump him up as soon as there was room!

Moving before the summer is good, actually, as it means you don't spend all summer going 'Aarghh! new school!! What have we done??'

He starts at the new school on 25th June. Watch out for stressy thread nearer the time.

Thanks for everyone's kind words and stories x

It's a state High School, and a very popular one, so there could be a few wanting to do the same as us. I don't really mind the deadline as I think if I gave DS infinity to decide he would still not know.

Is this because the head is pressing for a decision? Why -- will he fill the place elsewhere if you decide against, or don't take it immediately? I'm puzzled by this, as we certainly had to apply through the LA. Is it an independent school?

Frankly, I might count the head's insistence as a mark against the school after all.

Deadline looming. He has no idea what to do. he has the fear of leaving the familiar school and starting somewhere new.

He has to decide before tomorrow, I can't decide for him. I'm at a loss. Every time we discuss it there are tears.

Oh poor kid.

DS (decent musician on rather an odd instrument) wanted to give it up at his old school because it was one of the things he was teased for. I almost agreed, thinking it would be one less thing for him to fret about, but he was also teased for loving drama and English, for having mad hair, for being excitable, for preferring choir to football, for being friends with girls... basically most of the things that made him 'him'.

Old school's response was that he needed to learn to fit in. New school's response was that they wanted to see who he could be, and then help him to be the best version of that. i really hope a better 'fit' of school will mean your DS can be himself.

aah sparkling he needs to move to a school where doing your work isn't a crime, this kind of behaviour was the reason you went looking for alternative schools wasn't it?
If he stays they will crush his spirit

Sounds like you know what your own gut feeling is and are just hoping your DS will come down on the side of the move too.

The kids he knows from sports things -- are you likely to see any of them over half term? (Mind, this can backfire, as not many 12-yr-old boys will admit to actually quite liking school...)

Look, I know the head is pushing you for an answer, but can you say firmly that you will be giving DS time to reflect on it during half term? Or indeed, over the rest of the term, with the move made after the summer if necessary?

I hate making this kind of decision and I'm a lot more than 12. No wonder the poor kid's head is spinning.

Best advice we had was, 'You will never know what the road not travelled would have brought you. No one does.'

BTW, my other son (not the one who moved) goes to a school 17 miles from home (SEN reasons) and it only takes 20 minutes to get him there if his transport falls through, so although the journey sounds daunting depends on your local roads. It's probably manageable, esp if you can drop him at the bus so he then arrives the same way as all the others.

How are you fixed for picking him up again, though? I'm freelance so around to sort out any logistical nightmares.