Should I move my son mid-year?

[Emmereje]

Help! I’m struggling with this so could do with some rational thoughts and opinions!

My DS is currently in Year 2 but I am considering moving schools for a number of reasons…
we were considering this in foundation class as DS was struggling with friendships and felt lost in the classroom. He was hurt a number of times, including a massive bump to the head that we weren’t told about and I only noticed when bathing him. School said they would support DS and we believed them.
anyway, since then there have been many niggles that make me think l he might do better elsewhere.
There are two students in the class with developmental needs, but no statements (close friends with parents and love these children!) but as a result, the class teacher and TA spend a their time with these two as they cannot hire another adult due to funding. My son couldn’t do his work the other day as two children scribbled over his book as there was no proper supervision, and then another child deleted all his work from the Chromebook.

a handful of children are quite naughty and so get ‘treat time’ when they behave, of which no other child is allowed. My son gets upset by this as no one else gets acknowledged for good behaviour or rewarded.
Yesterday my son came home in tears as he took a toy to show and tell and a boy snatched it away and ripped the arm off. He only had the toy 1 day as it was a birthday gift. Spoke to boys mum and she brushed it off and said she didn’t want her son upset by the incident!

Anyway, I am a realist and know my son is bright, but lazy and easily led. While he is currently well behaved (on the whole) he has started to come home with phrases that I believe he had learned in school.
teachers are too busy with the SEN students that they do not keep DS on track, or push him to reach his potential. I know he is bright, he reads at a high level, his maths is insane but I worry that his ability is slipping with such little input from teachers (I know the teacher is doing her best with what she has been given and really do feel for her!)

We are thinking of moving him to another primary where he may get more support with his learning but I know the impact of moving in year on education .

what would others do? sometimes I wonder if it’s a case of better the devil you know…?

I’d move him in that scenario.

i think year 2 would be a good time to move, perhaps after christmas?

Obviously this is a poor situation and nobody would choose it, but unfortunately this is the story in the majority of classes where I work. Until schools start receiving the funding that they so desperately need, nothing is going to change anytime soon.

I would also move him. I moved my DS in year 5 and wished I had done it much earlier. If you stay then it won't get better, the school can't support your son.

Aside from the fact it’s daft to bring toys into school, I would consider moving. Your challenge will be finding a school that’s any different, tbh!

I moved my son in the middle of year 3 and it was fine, he fitted easily into the new school.

Sounds similar to my son’s school . I’d move to a smaller school

Moving a child mid year? Yes, absolutely, often the right thing for a child.

But, honestly this feels like the situation in many of my friends’ schools. So my warning is not to expect moving to be a magic wand, you’re going to have to look very closely at the situation in a different school, and things at that school can also change.

Can you be sure it won't be the same scenario in a new school? All mainstream schools are being expected to include pupils with increasingly complex needs with no extra funding.

I have moved mine. But because of school wasn't right. The situation you have is in many schools so it will be hard to find one that doesn't

I'd do my research carefully about alternative schools somehow to make sure it achieves what you need for your DS.

Moving schools does have a big impact on children and many, from my experience as a teacher, initially regress in their learning whilst they settle in. However, if the transition is managed well, they can soon catch-up again. You may need to support him at home with additional work.

Y2-Y3 is quite a big jump for many kids so if you are going to move him, consider how you think he will manage the jump in learning expectations from y2-y3 and the change of friendships, routines, rules etc.

Also, keep in mind that you can’t control what the intake might be like at the other school. They might have a more settled class and good TA support but again, from my experience, these things can change very quickly due to new children joining or funding for schools changing.

Probably move hm. But if you're friends with the parents of the children with SEN, suggest to them that they apply for EHCPs (or whatever the equivalent is in your area). It sounds as if the school should have done so already.

You’d have to be very sure the next school is better: can you switch to private school? Few state primary schools can truly stretch a bright child within the national curriculum . It’s a crying shame, but the curriculum is not ambitious and the stretch is more like touching your toes than contorting yourself into a complex yoga pose.

This won’t improve in my experience as the years go on - the School’s won’t suddenly find money; a class with tricky kids won’t magically improve; a behaviour policy that favours treats and bribes won’t find ways to tell children when their behaviour is unacceptable.

My dc holds a huge amount of resentment for primary school but actually doing well at a fairly strict single-sex secondary and aiming for straight 9s in gcse (though expecting to drop a few grades in reality). Many kids were privately tutored to get into selective secondary - I’d definitely think about this for your dc so his maths skills aren’t squandered.

We didn’t though - we took the approach of “survive primary, get into a good secondary” (Covid was a factor though for us). Lots of extra curriculars and trips to the library. In our case no tutoring as the boredom in school seemed simply worse if your kids are too far ahead. So extend sideways - think of all the things you can try - plenty of diverse reading, science and engineering kits, museum visits, coding club, chess club, Lego masters, creative writing at the library club, languages, team sports, drama, music … you can make life outside school very stimulating.

Oh and martial arts! Our dc is now a black belt and it didn’t hurt in primary school that a rumour spread that our dc could disable someone with one finger … a very kind friend basically made dc seem lethal and dc has has never had ANY trouble physically despite being small - the self confidence from martial arts has given dc a “don’t mess with me” demeanour and learned to intimidate people with a hard glare. Very effective and a good investment of time and money!

Sorry op but this is the state of schools everywhere. Lack of funding is a major issue. So many children are coming through the mainstream school system when they should be in special schools but there aren't enough special schools or places. It also takes so long to get a child a diagnosis that the schools have to do the best they can with what little money and staff they have and it's a complete nightmare!

I have noticed a huge change in the last 5 years, Lots of the children we have now would never have been in our school before then, they would have been in special schools.
I am a TA in a year one class and we have a boy who is on the pathway to a diagnosis but hasn't had one yet and therefore only has 1 hour of funding a day, when in fact he needs all day 1:1. If he's told no or if he isn't happy about something or he's bored, then he will throw, hit, spit, kick, scream etc anything that he chooses to do at that time.

We do our best to try and distract him, remove him etc but there are usually no real triggers as to why he lashes out and it'll take us by surprise. As a result of this, quite often I'll take him out of the classroom so as to keep the other children safe or to try and avoid a meltdown as he's only really happy with 1:1 adult attention. This obviously therefore leaves just the teacher in the classroom. It's not the schools fault, its down to the governments lack of funding, lengthy wait times for an EHCP and lack of special school places.

Actually forgot to add, I completely understand your concerns and feel for you. Too many of our capable children are being left to their own devices as time is taken up with those that have SEN and it's not fair on them as they aren't being supported fully. The only real answer though is more staff, but that again comes down to more funding which the schools just don't have.

Thank you everyone for your comments.
the school we are looking at is much smaller, with one space left in a lovely class of which my son knows a few from nursery. Parents are supportive and staff are experienced. I have spoken to the head and have been reassured that none of the children have the level of need in his current class, and I have visited the class and can see that this is true.
Will start the application to move him…

We have looked at a private school but with the VAT on top and the fact we would need to send our younger children when they are old enough means that we just couldn’t afford it.
DS does a range of extracurricular - he trains with an Olympic coach in gymnastics, plays baritone in a brass band and is the youngest in their history, is a Beaver, swims and attends some sessions at the grammar school I am manager of to keep him developing in maths / English.
Its just frustrating that this effort is not supported in the classroom and he spends 5+ hrs a day just coasting and getting bored/ ignored.

I would see whether the schools in your area that you could realistically get to, have spaces and then visit to get a feel for them.

Have you had formal meetings with the current school to express your concern about keeping your child safe?

Year 3 is the start of Key Stage 2, so sometime before then would be a good time to consider the move.

I moved my son for the start of Y3. He had no friends, very lonely, wasn't making good progress and not being challenged. We moved him to a totally different school (small school, mixed age group classes) and he became a different child. He left Y6 at the end of the summer as Greater Depth in reading and maths, expected in writing and grammar. His confidence blossomed and made great friends. A move was absolutely the right thing to do for him.

Move him. I moved schools almost every year due to stepdad job and I managed to make friends and get a degree!

your kid is stuck with his current class until y6. If it is a large school then he may experience the joy of the other children with needs from the parallel class.

I was a teacher and it would infuriate me that kids got reward time with SLT for doing one thing when they had trashed everything and hurt others. It would get to later on in the day and you would see them choose to follow instructions to get the reward before home.

I heard one bright Y3 say there is no point in being good and the logic makes sense.

They won't get EHCPs councils are turning down 99% of applications, because they simply don't have the funds available!
I say this as someone who is 2 years into a tribunal to get my son, who is blind, in a wheelchair and requires 1-1 care 24/7 an EHCP and in fact an education because without an EHCP he can't access the school that can actually accommodate his needs!
I know of about 12 families around the UK who's children are recieving 1-1 help in classrooms without EHCPs all because the councils can't afford them.

Are you sure it's true? At my 1 child's school the kids with needs are given days out when Ofsted or school visits are happening!

I moved my daughter in y5 due to kids behaviour and the affect it was having on her MH. Best thing i did. Kids are resilient. Move him

As a teacher it’s nice to hear how understanding you are about the reality of the situation. Fact is there is no funding to hire another adult to support children with high needs so the teacher and ta will end up spending more time with them to keep them and others safe. It is impacting on your child which I know is unfair. It’s hard to know though if you moved him, that he wouldn’t end up in a similar situation in another school as SEN is ever increasing and the funding isn’t there to support it. Maybe have a look at some other schools and get a feel for the situation they are in regarding SEN as well. Sadly one or two children can end up impacting a whole class’ education through no fault of their own. Just in an environment that can’t meet their needs.