To move child in the last term of year 6

[Relaxaholic]

Hi- my DD has been offered a place in an outstanding state primary school where her sibling attends. She currently attends an academy which has been struggling a bit and which has no secondary feeder option. The outstanding primary feeds into an excellent catholic secondary school.

I am really torn about whether to move her to a new school at this stage. She is a popular girl and has really lovely friends at her current school. She is happy. But I am tempted by the move because our current secondary options are not very good and she is probably also underperforming at her current school. The new school will be better at preparing her for SATs which will help her going into secondary.

AIBU to be considering this?

If it's for the last term if year 6 won't the secondary school already be decided by that time?
So it won't make much difference. I would leave her with her friends if that's the case. They'll be having all their leavers events which she will have to do with new friends. And then be changing schools once again

Last term of year 5, not year 6!

Not sure how to edit the title, but I meant year 5. Post fail there…

If your daughter is happy to be moved then you should move on year 5

If she's still got a whole year and a half to go before secondary and there is space at the other school then I'd move her asap.

I moved ds at the start of year 6 for the same reason. He wasn’t the only new starter and I would do it again. He moved up to secondary with many of his year 6 class which www my primary objective.

As it turns out she's y5, then yes, move her.

@Laserwho

She doesn’t want to move because her current school offers an amazing residential abroad at the start of year 6, which she has been looking forward to. She will be very upset if she misses this. I am thinking of offering a similar trip as a family to make up for this. It won’t be quite the same.

It has surprised me that she hasn’t mentioned leaving her friends, as I thought that would really bother her. I don’t think she has fully thought it through

What does she want to do? Have you discussed the options with her?

Even at 8 years old we would and did discuss this with our DC. We always tried to give them autonomy. We were living abroad and they had expressed an interest in a career after having an operation on their eyes we knew it was so competitive to pursue this career in the country we were living in so we discussed a move back to the UK as a family but with their future in mind. It was hard. We were skint. Had to live in what some people would consider an undesirable location (perfectly good to our standards as both DH and I came from poverty). It worked well we all flourished again and they are in fact pursuing the career path at Uni in the UK they chose at 8 years old 😂. Might not be what they ultimately do but nobody knows the future.

Once back in the UK and after 2 years of primary school they chose a good secondary over an outstanding one because at the time friendships were important to them and most of their friends were going to the good one. It cost us more money too as the outstanding one was walking distance but the good one we had to pay bus fare.

DC reached the goals they set themselves at GCSE and A level.

I personally would do anything within my power and means to ensure my DC reached their potential based in their own goals. Sometimes it means letting them lead the way or at least be heard and all pros and cons discussed.

Talk to your DD. Find out how she really feels. If you force her hand and it turns out badly you will have to live with the guilt she will have to live with the consequences her whole life. It may turn out brilliantly but she has to be involved in the decision and ultimately agree.

This. Also the SATs won't help them in Secondary school. It will be a fresh start.

I wouldn’t.
My child didn’t even do SATs because they were cancelled in covid and she’s done brilliantly at secondary school. They aren’t really that relevant imo.

@Tumbleweed44 I have asked her and she is resistant because of the residential. I asked her what her view would be if the residential wasn’t and issue and she said she would think about it.

I think our parenting styles are probably a little different however. I will take her views on board but feel it is ultimately my decision to make as her parent, considering what is best for her.

Your child sounds extraordinary by the way! Choosing a career aged 8 and sticking with that - you must be very proud of what he/she has achieved.

Just seen she's actually in Yr 5 so, yes, move her.

I wouldn’t worry about the sats, they’re largely irrelevant in my experience.
The bigger issue is how it affects the secondary school she will get in to if you move/don’t move. If by moving, you guarantee a place at the better secondary, I would do it without hesitation. Foreign trips can be done as a family, I would find out what trips she might have at the new school in y6 and make a very big deal of those.

Ds moved school at Easter of y5, different reasons, but it was the best thing we could have done for him. A far better experience than he would have had at the previous school. He was fully on board with the decision though, I think you need to make sure your dd is happy with that too.

Just wanted to say, thank you mumsnetters for your helpful replies and input based on experience. I really love this site sometimes.

I'd think about a few practical issues - your DCs are currently at different primaries.
Would the new school be closer to home? Would she be able to get together with her existing friends?
Is it automatic that children from the new school get a place at the Catholic secondary?
Would the catholic secondary be a good fit for your DD - ethos, facilities, subjects, teaching style etc? Would t be a reasonable journey for her and would she have local friends? Are there other options available if this secondary doesn't work out?

SATS are really for the junior/middle/primary schools performance league tables. It does give a small insight for your chosen secondary school, but most usually do their own internal tests over the first two weeks of the term in September. Once these internal tests are completed, then they will assign a child their sets for the subjects. My son was utterly bored in Year 6, as it consists of revising for SATS up until they take them in May. Residential trip once the SATS are over, and then practicing for the Leavers performance. I would take on board what your daughter wants but if her staying is purely due to the residential trip abroad, then it's not a good enough reason. Secondary school is important, and we moved house before my son started Infants, simply because the secondary school in the area we lived at the time, was poor. You have to make a decision based on what's best for your daughter long-term.

@Relaxaholic I think you have already made your mind up and this thread was primarily to garnish support to rally your cause.

Nothing wrong with how you parent or I parent even though it does seem to be very different you know your DD best.

We are so proud of our DC but it wasn’t always easy sailing but one thing my DC always knew was that he had some autonomy and we would never just do something without his consent.

My advice is try and find anyway possible to get your DD on board.

I would consider a school that didn't go mad on SATS to be a bonus tbh. But are you more concerned about the general standard of education being poor at her current school?

What would be the difference in chances of getting into the catholic secondary school from her current school versus if she moves to the other one? Catholic schools generally have religious criteria ahead of feeder schools. What is the realistic secondary option if she stays where she is and why do you consider that school less good?
I think that for me would be the main consideration.

Generally I'd be loathe to move a happy child, so if there were no/little secondary school difference, would the perceived benefits of a better education for a year outweigh the time it would take for her to settle in, get used to new routines etc in a new school?

if this is really the only way to get into a decent secondary school, then yes move her.
I also agree that while you do need her onside, she can't possibly understand the significance of secondary at this point.

A decnet secondary is worth it.

@Seeline the new school is a similar distance to her current one. Moving her would simplify school runs but we manage fairly well with the current routine anyway.

It isn’t automatic that she will go to the Catholic secondary. They will have a priority in admissions over DD’s current primary, but the new school doesn’t rank first in the admissions criteria for the Catholic secondary. I’ve been told that children who apply from the new primary have all been accepted in previous years.

In terms of culture and fit, we aren’t catholic but then I understand a good majority of kids at the Catholic school aren’t either. Our local catchment is really mixed and I have heard worrying things about behaviour and performance at the local comprehensive. This is less of an issue at the Catholic secondary

SATs and year 6 performance at this stage I wouldn't be bothered about. (SATs are for school anyway, not for the kid)
The only reason to move really is the secondary issue

@RedSkyDelights

At her current school there is a very low chance she would get into the Catholic secondary because it is oversubscribed and we are out of catchment. At the new school it would be highly likely. But not guaranteed

Have they changed the law we had to get DS confirmed before he was accepted to the secondary catholic school (dh catholic I am not). We never did it abroad when they were a baby as we just didn’t. Although they did admit non catholic in later years when places became available.

Will she not get a point for her DS being at the secondary too?

I would move. Friendships transition in Year 6 a lot anyway. Particularly kids at smaller schools who just get bored of each other after 7 years or longer in the same class. Particularly girls.

Even if they do stay friends in Year 6, they drift in Year 7 as they have a wider choice of friends.

I'd not move specifically for SATS but they do indicate someone being better prepared for secondary and whilst a secondary will do CAT tests on admission, they will also take into account standardised scores and SAT results. So if you think the new school will better prepare her for secondary AND she stands more chance at getting in, do it.