Moving dilemma - WWYD?

[obsalon]

Just going round in circles over this and could use some objective perspectives!

I have a nearly 4 year old DC who will be starting school next September. At the moment we live in a very small flat and are planning to put the house on the market in the Spring and move out of London. This is something we've always wanted to do and we can get much more for our money in the area we want to move to - we don't currently have a garden or anything and we badly need more room.

But I just cannot work out when to move, because either way it involves unsettling and uprooting DS. Either we try to move before he starts school, and he has to change to another nursery (his nursery is absolutely lovely and he's happy and settled), or we move after he starts school and he has to change school. I'm inclined to think it's better to switch nurseries than switch schools but I just worry about how hard he will find it. He is very, very sensitive and I am worried enough about how he will cope with starting school altogether.

Although I work freelance and from home, I can't stay at home with him full time - I just wouldn't get anything done. Financially we need my income, particularly as we'll be taking on a substantially larger mortgage.

That's without even getting into the logistics of him getting into a decent primary school after we move. But there's nothing I can do about that because there's no chance we'll be able to move before the application deadline, particularly with the housing market as it is at the moment.

Worrying about this constantly. Want to do the right thing for him. Really we should have moved before he was born but we have had so much family support where we are currently that's been wonderful during his early years.

Any advice appreciated.

hopeful bump

Honestly, I think, there's no good time - there's always going to be disruption, upheaval, adjustment, and pros and cons. So what I tend to do is make a plan and stick with in, maximising research into where I'm moving so we can make it as easy as possible for all of us.

Personally, I'd go for switching nurseries, so that he can make friends before school, and also to make it easier applying to schools, and finding out from other parents which are the ones you want to apply to.

Surely you need to be applying for primary school now? Assuming you are in England. We’ve recently done DDs secondary school application and I’m sure her primary school said applications for primary was January time?

If so, you’ve left it too late to move in time for DC to start at school in your preferred area in September. Have you looked at your local schools, they will be hosting parent visits now I would think?

So get DC into local school for September then look at moving. Round here Y3 is the time to move as lots of kids go to private for KS2 as they are more focussed on 11+ prep than state schools.

Yes of course we do, we'll be applying here. No other option, we can't move before the deadline. Will have to make a late application in the area we move to when we move.

You may not have much control over timing the move if you are in a chain so I'd just put the house on the market and wait and see. It's not the best time of year as many people won't be looking until after Christmas so you may want to hold off until the new year

Yes, we aren't planning on putting the house on the market until February.