Moving to new town with DD and school appeal

[PopRay80]

Hi all.
We currently live in a small, safe town. It’s all my 11 year old DD (only child) has ever known and she’s been in the same school since she was 4 with the same friends.
In a couple of months we are moving to a larger town, which is obviously busy. My parents will live just around the corner from us but, other than them, my daughter knows no one.
The school she has been allocated is a 45 minute walk from the new house. She does not know the area and has not been on buses alone so we have put in an appeal for the secondary school closer to our new home.
I have awful anxiety and have cried a lot about the stress of the house move and the school appeal.
This evening my daughter has cried, saying she doesn’t want to move house as she doesn’t like the new town or the people.
It has really upset me.
Could anyone that has moved their DC to a busier town tell me how your DC got on?
Also, is anyone has been through a school appeal, any advice would be appreciated. Many thanks.

Does she have/want a mobile? That could be something to help win her over, the promise of a mobile, I’d recommend getting one so she can easily contact you on her commute if needed. Doesn’t need to be anything fancy or the latest smartphone.

Assuming you are in England, the appeals information provided by your council is wrong, but so are those saying you have to wait until you have moved before appealing. Where you live is not a consideration for the appeal panel. Their decisions must be in line with the Appeals Code which is set by the government and cannot be overridden by a local policy.

OP are you getting any help with your anxiety in general?

At 11 your DD is growing up and there are skills that she will need to acquire as part of that process. I agree with PP that it's time to start practicing busses with her and working on her independence. Perhaps she also needs some professional help with her anxiety if this isn't possible.