Change schools twice

[Hurstlandshome]

Would love your opinion on changing my daughter's school...twice.

My daughter is in year 4 - has never really thrived at the school, has been recently diagnosed with dyslexia (which the school has not made any real effort to support - apart from giving her a blue plastic sheet to read with, but that's for another thread), and she has friendship circle issues that have been going on since nursery and which make her whole school life miserable. She is not being bullied.

I've been house hunting since before Covid, looking to move to a new area, which my daughter has always been up for and looking forward to. Then the pandemic hit, the whole house buying situation became and remains a nightmare (in the southeast) and we still haven't moved.

She really is unhappy though - what are your views on taking her out of her current school to place her in one near to our home (her current school is around a 20minute drive away) AND then moving her again when we move location in a year or so?

A very close friend is of the opinion that if she can be happier for a year - it's absolutely the right thing to do. I just worry it could be more damaging to change school twice...

What would you do?

What makes you think she would be happier in another school?

How far away is the new area you hope to move to?

Really tricky. What does she think about the idea?

She has a friendship circle of alpha-females - her teacher said to me that she had never had a class with such complex friendship issues and cattiness. It's not bullying it's just really strange dynamics, and that's aside from the hopefully better SENCO support she might receive. I do know that bullied children do not necessarily thrive in a new school setting but this isn't bullying, so I'm wondering if it would work for her...she doesn't have any trouble making new friends outside of school.

The point is when we do move she'll have to move school as we'll be moving aorund 30 miles away. But do I move her twice?

I'd move her now and then put off moving again until she starts high school. Is the new area you're moving to commutable from where you currently live?

I called our local school today about placement to check she could go there (they have space) before sitting down with her tonight to run through what she perceives will be the pros and cons. So in short - I dont know what she thinks yet - but she constantly asks when we are moving so that she can change schools.

I take it picking a new school 15 miles from your current home to new area isn’t logistically feasible?

Also how likely is it that you will actually move, if you haven’t yet? If it’s the housing market rather than your personal circumstances that’s been the issue, that might not change in the next 2 years.

I would move her. You don't know what's in the future. What if for whatever reason you don't end up moving next year? It sounds like both you and your daughter are unhappy with the current school. If it were my kid I'd get them out to a school that will better support her.