Moving back 2 kids (yet Another thread)

[Fupoffyagrasshole]

I know it’s been done to death! But anyway here I am asking again!

we are both Irish (family in Dublin) living in north London 15 years - kids 2 & 5

planning our move back in time for oldest to start secondary school so have a bit of time yet but obviously it’s a big thing so getting started on planning now!

husband getting a job would be step 1! Likely he would move back ahead of me and live in his parents when he starts his new job

il stay here finish out the school year and sort out selling the house etc

main thing I don’t understand how to tackle is how to find a school - if we live with our parents for a bit before we find a house then this may not be the area we end up staying (we are likely going to need up a little out than Dublin -eg dunshaughlin)

how is this going to work ? Do we need husband to have gone back way before summer holidays to find where we want to live to be sure we find a school? It’s so confusing to know how to time this!!

Are you moving in 7 years time?

Schools aren't centralised, so they all have their own entrance criteria and timetables. Its a pain! And the "list" has been banned, so there is no need to register early for secondary now. So you really have loads of time to decide.

Edit to add finding a house will be harder than finding a job or school, availability is the issue. And you'll have to be back in the country a year before you'll get mortage approval, so you might be with your parents longer than you think.

More like 3 or 4 years

would I be better to go for last primary year do you think or finish out school here then on to secondary in Ireland

Yea aware of that about living with parents for maybe a year !! Doh!!

so that could mean a move if schools twice I suppose

there is no good time to do this really without disruptions

And you'll have to be back in the country a year before you'll get mortgage approval,

Are you sure on this? I moved back from London (allbeit 20 years ago) and got mortgage approval straight away. My dh was still working in UK he is English. I was in new job in Ireland so still on probation but we had no issues. We owned a house in London so we were selling and buying so had a good chunk of equity to use as deposit. I know it was pre- the crash but would be surprised if rules had changed so much

@Boolabus 20 years ago they were giving cats and dogs mortgages but trust me they nearly want custody of your first born child to get one these days AND there is a housing shortage.

OP not being a smartass but I would start looking now at properties. Schools now have a totally different set of criteria to meet when you can apply and location is one, you cant just enrol them in a school where you think you might live you will need proof of address etc and there will be a radius you have to stick to while opting for a school.

It depends where you are. Out here in Louth it seems to only be the Deis schools with catchments, the rest of the secondaries seem to have gone down the road of names out of a hat, once siblings are placed. Its a horror to go through.

And you are right on mortgage approval. 20 years ago was another world.

20 years ago they were giving cats and dogs mortgages
Yes I did acknowledge that in my post, I just wasn't sure if it was definitely 12 months.

Anyway according to Citizens information it is 6 to 12 months.
While there is no minimum residency period to buy property, lenders generally require you to live and work in Ireland for at least 6 to 12 months to get mortgage approval. You must be out of your probationary period, have a permanent contract, and show 6–12 months of local bank statements

OP it might be worth teasing this out because we knew we wouldn't get a mortgage with me on probation so DH stayed with his UK employer to help us secure a mortgage. TBF they were very good and let him work in ireland (pre time when wfm was far more common).

I let my eldest finish primary in the UK and then she did 6th class, it was a good low pressure year to settle in. Kids start school later here too, my autumn/winter babies went from being the oldest in class to the younger ones in Ireland

Nope the ET also do as I had to provide proof for mine. In the catchment area which is great but not far enough for the school bus but thats another days issue.

This is what I’m saying it’s a logistical nightmare 🫠🫠

this is a good idea - as she started school here at 4years 6 months which is young! And she’d be finished at 10 starting secondary at 11 and a half?? Seems young (am I calculating this right 😆)

so she could potentially do 6th class near my parents and hopefully we know where we’d move ahead of applying for secondary school!

It would be a good idea to have her do 6th in Ireland. Many secondary schools take applications for secondary based on the school you’re attending and your address. And these applications are made in the September of 6th class (in many Dublin schools anyway).
As she will have completed primary in another country she will probably be granted an Irish language exemption. Any time before that she will probably have to take up Irish.

Rules changed on school applications back in I think it was 2021 or thereabouts and no primary school is seen as a feeder school, they also abolished waiting lists for both primary and secondary schools.

This is incorrect I’m afraid. For the schools that we have been applying for (in the Dublin area), the order of priority is:

1. siblings
2. children in the catchment AND attending a feeder school
3. children living within the catchment and not in a feeder school
4. children living outside the catchment and in a feeder school for at least 1 year
5. children living outside the catchment and not in a feeder school.

Interesting, I know when I was involved in it all while the change was happening they had initially said no schools were feeders anymore but I guess each school has to have an admissions policy so have made their own rules once they stuck with no waiting lists and catchment areas.

Absolutely not true. Schools can be feeder schools. There is no one set of rules it’s different everywhere. For example Limerick city has a cao style common application system so that everyone only gets one offer of a school but even with this system you still need to meet the criteria for the no1 school that you are applying for

You're calculating it right for UK not Ireland. UK have 7 primary school years we have 8. Your daughter will be going into secondary in UK when her peers in Ireland are going into 6th class so she'll be 12 starting secondary in Ireland. I agree with others to start her in. 6th class in Ireland. She'll have finished primary in UK and can do the 8th year of primary in Ireland before starting secondary

If they do sixth class at a primary school here they will likely have friends/classmates from their primary school to pal around with in their first year at secondary.

Also, if they have no Irish, it might be useful in advance of moving to start them on Duolingo just to give them a feel for the subject - children here will have been introduced to the language in primary school and have a bit of a head start.

It’s all so daunting really but thanks for the info all

the happy where we are but we are in a 2 bed (great location) don’t need a car etc but will need a bigger place down the line and it would likely mean a bigger location move anyway so may as well make the move home !

it will be an adjustment for sure !! But I do come back a lot to visit so it shouldn’t be a big shock - we are prepared for it!

This is all useful info - deffo leaning towards 6th class first then on to secondary !

Many of her peers will be starting secondary school in Ireland aged 13+ the way the entry to the early childhood (ECCE) scheme is set up now OP. The dates are more ‘fixed’ than they used to be. Only those born Sept to Dec will start secondary aged 12.

When is her birthday?

For example, a child born in February 2021 would now typically be starting school Aug/Sept ‘26 aged five and a half and secondary eight years later.
She definitely needs to be doing 6th class here, if not 5th too perhaps?

Also, I know you’ve loads of time, but just so you know for planning purposes…the applications for secondary school take place early in 6th class. For example the secondary schools local to me typically have open nights in late Sept/early Oct and the admissions deadline is somewhere about third week October for 6th class students.
Offers come out in November.

Also, your elder child will probably be exempt Irish if they complete primary in the UK (if they wish to be), but your younger child will probably not be exempt and will have to take it. Just in case you want to do some Irish with them in the meantime 😊

Absolutely this. My dc is senior infants and after Christmas all the children with birthdays in her class are turning seven so they will all be 13 before going into secondary school. DD is in first year and a few have started turning 14

You will need PPS numbers to fart over here so you need to get those first…for those you will need proof of identity (passport or national ID), proof of address (utility bill, lease, or bank statement), and a valid reason for needing it (e.g., employment, tax, or public services) etc etc

Your PPS will still be valid if you have them but you will need them for your dc for school etc.