To move my daughters school in year 6

[tickettocrazytown]

This isn’t a decision we’ve taken lightly and have discussed it with dd at great length...it is something that she wants to do, she feels very unhappy at her current school, but also has some self esteem issues (not 100% sure these stemmed from school necessarily).
In her class, there are very few girls (only about a 9), she doesn’t have a particularly close relationship with any of them, but she does have a few friends.
She does have a small friendship group at the school we want her to move to, the school is also very forward thinking and has better results academically.
My daughter is fine with some subjects, struggles with others, so I’m not sure that would be an issue, but the children in her year there seem to be working at a higher level than her current school.
I know it’s disruptive to love in year 6, but I think it could be the change she needs.
Does anyone have any experience of this? Particularly any teachers?

If the move was based on friendships, by Y6 I’d be looking ahead to Y7 and secondary. Do both primaries feed the same secondary?
Then I’d go for it - as she wants to.

If all the new Y6 will go to a different secondary, I would need some convincing.

I would worry about the level of work. There’ll be a wide variation in any Y6, and anyway a little bit of 1:1 tutoring will sort out anything missed.

Thankyou for your reply.
I think it partly is to do with friendship groups....the primaries could feed the same secondary schools, but it’s not 100% guaranteed. Other than that, she has been unhappy at her current school for a couple of years now. And I acknowledge that her problems won’t all be solved by moving, but a new start may help.

We moved my step daughter in year 6 and it was the best thing we did, it was her choice too and you never know until you do it, but it was absolutely the right decision, she grew a lot in confidence and made new friends, one she is very close too now.

I moved mine in year 6 from what is regarded as one of the best schools in the area, unlike yours, my child was not in agreement but I went ahead anyway. She has blossomed, gone are the days where I’m being spoken to every afternoon, no dramas, no misbehaving anymore!

It has gone from a strong catholic ethos to a normal primary, everything is so much more relaxed, the pressures off. I now have a child doing extra maths, taking pride in their work and generally happy

Thankyou so much, these comments are making me feel a lot less like I’m doing the wrong thing....our gut feeling is to go ahead and it’s what my daughter wants. Current school have advised it’s not a good idea for many reasons and I have considered these.

As a teacher, often of Y6, I have never started and finished the school year with exactly the same children in my class. There's a lot of coming and going and sometimes a fresh start can do wonders for a child. A Y6 move is sometimes less ideal if a child has been gearing up for the school residential and other perks of Y6 but few of the big things are guaranteed this year. A Y6 move that's successful can also build confidence for the move to Y7 in a year because the child will be able to draw on things they utilised during their Y6 move.

If your child is unhappy at school and there's a place at the other school, have a think with her about what the worst outcome might be for each option and think through ways she might handle that.

I'd go for it OP.
Also school shouldn't be trying to influence your decision. If I was moving my DD I'm confident the school would say they were sad but wish her well.
A year is a long time for a child to be unhappy.

If it will make her happier, everything, including academics will be far easier. I’d do it OP

I moved my gs in Yr 5. He wasnt thriving in the village primary, full of cliques and bitchiness. He was dreading starting yr 5 - two years with a teacher he really disliked as well.

I moved him to a catholic federation school who had a good rep locally and it really improved his confidence in academic abilities ready to transfer to secondary. It wasn't always an easy ride but he has said how much he appreciated the teachers at his new school. Children can really tell the difference between good and bad staff.

You have little to lose op. If it is not that great, then its less than twelve months but I have a feeling you will be doing the right thing.

Interesting...My dd is in a similar situation friendship wise and not many girls in the class. I'm loathe to move her for various reasons. I will say, I knew a lady who moved her dd in year six due to dreadful bullying and she was put into a lovely class where the girls were so welcoming and she made lots of friends and thrived.

We did. DD had been unhappy for years and was a shell of her younger self. We had already chosen her secondary school based on where other children weren't going... February of y6 she got badly physically hurt by some children who didn't want her to join in a skipping game and pulled her away by pulling the rope around her middle and tugging. It rode up to her neck. Enough said. Anyway, she didn't return and did the last term and a half at a different school which fed mostly into the secondary that we had chosen. Best decision we ever made and she still has friends from her last class years on.

We've never ever doubted that we made the right call. Incidentally her sat scores got higher too. I think a fresh school spotted a couple of holes and filled them in so to speak. Good luck. Not easy.

While you are thinking about this don't forget to send in your Y7 application.