Have you ever moved your child school?

[lololy]

...if so , how did it go?

I really want to move back home our my home town . My child is in reception currently so I would look to move schools into year 1.

I am terrified or the idea. I hate it and never wanted to be that parent to unsettle their child .

My child is very introverted and it takes her a while to trust new people and environments and I feel like the worst mum going

Any positive stories out there ?

Yes. We agonised over the decision for the same reason as you...our child is an introvert, a worrier and hates change. But having discussed it at great length we always came back to the same conclusion that it was what was best for the family and would be worth it. We made the pros and cons lists, talked it over with friends, family etc. Some thought we were mad uprooting the family, others told us to go for it. Ultimately we asked ourselves if the move fell through how would we feel? What regrets did we have in our lives? The answers were we would be gutted if it fell through and our regrets were for things we hadn't done.
We were lucky it worked out. What helped was talking about it as a family. Sharing our worries with each other. Our kids were a couple of years older than yours but I think it comforted them knowing that we had all the same feelings as them - we were excited, nervous, worried etc.
We spoke to the new school, explained our concerns about DC and how they may struggle. We were offered a visit to the school. Kid had a tour, met the teacher, saw their classroom, desk, peg etc and had an opportunity to ask questions about the school before the start of term (inset day). This helped immensely with the first day.
It was a rollercoaster for a while but we went with our gut feeling and it worked for the best. It helped with DCs confidence too.
Good luck.

@Hangingintherejust

Thank you so much for a really positive story! I'm glad to hear it all worked out for you in the end!

They do say that children are far more resilient than us adults !!

Was it stressful buying another house and changing schools at the same time ? My worry is the stress and uncertainty that comes with selling and buying and how timescales can be so unpredictable

Yeah I relocated. He finished school in one county, moved house at the weekend and started the new school on the Monday. He was in reception. We chose to move when he was young in order to minimise disruption of friends when he was older.
His new school were AMAZING. They’d spoken about the New Child coming, he had a buddy every day for two weeks and it was an entirely positive experience. Both him and me are quite positive anyway.

We moved in year 2 and he settled without a backward glance!! The earlier guy can do it the better but it will affect you far more than them - kids are really resilient!

I moved my 4 children’s school nearly 2 years ago. The eldest was in first year of high school and I think he was the one I felt most guilty about and still do when I think about it but he soon settled in and made new friends. My other 3 were year 5, 1 and nursery.
My youngest in nursery had selective mutism at the time and would not talk at all in the school she was originally in so I was really worried about her but it turned out to be the best thing I did. Within just months her new teacher put a lot of effort into building her trust and she started whispering in her ear and then progressed to talking quietly. When she moved to reception the teacher was aware and she soon had the confidence to used a normal voice and now you can’t stop her talking in any situation. My middle 2 year 5 and 1 settled in straight away and it was the best thing I’ve done.
None of my children are overly confident so yes I felt bad but the situation I was in at the time meant I had to move house to a new area. Children are very resilient and sometimes as parents we overthink things.
If it’s going to give them a better life in the long term then go for it.

We moved during the summer before primary 2 (dd had just turned 6). It was sheer luck that it worked out to be in the summer so the house move was done before school started. We spent the summer seeing cousins and grandparents who are now local to us.
We did manage to get a tour of the school before they broke up for summer but couldn't go inside as covid measures were still around. Dd ended up going into a class where not everyone knew each other already (2.5 classes and they mix up each year) so a lot of the kids were in a similar boat. I was worried as dd can be very shy around new people but kids can be resilient and she picked up the routines and a friend quite quickly.
I'd say it took until the christmas for her to fully settle down after the move.
I'm glad we did it at the age we did and she absolutely loves living here and her school now.

Yes, work in school and pupil in year movement due to housing market, jobs, etc is extremely common. Ranges from moving within locality due to issues at other school, to moving house locally and school runs easier at new school, to national and international moves to the area.

The only times a child hasnt settled 99% of the time there has been an issue stemming from parents or carers ( eg, stemming from their poor experiences with school historically, falling out with old school, regretting the decision and having sevond thoughts so move child back to old school, parents being very anxious and thus is projected to the child).

Go for it, check out the support the new school seem confident they can offer to ensure the move goes well.

We moved for the start of year 1 as the school we sent her to for reception just wasn't right. She loved her last day at school 1 as they made a fuss of her and she settled into her new school within a week, they're still so young and friendships are so fluid at that age. She's a year in now and so happy there.

How do you think military children cope? Children are far more resilient as long as YOU don't make it a drama.

I moved every 2 years throughout my entire school years!

It was very stressful but it was a company relocation and we had support with temporary accomodation, which helped with timing of the move. It was quite overwhelming at times tbh.
Children are resilient. We were constantly told we needn't worry about DC, they'd settle in straight away etc but we felt it was dismissing their feelings. Kids have big feelings too but can't always articulate them. Whatever you decide, I hope it works out. You aren't a bad Mum for wanting this.

Yes, one of my DC hated school so much he ran home one lunchtime and nobody noticed he was missing

I moved him to a small rural school and he thrived there. He was 7 at the time of the move (not in UK so not sure which school year that is).

Yes did it at the same school year and in lockdown!

it went ok and she settled well. Couldn’t do much settling/socialising due to restrictions but she did brilliantly. Also when we could we enrolled her to local brownies and other sporty stuff outside of school but local so she could mix with local kids not necessarily in her class.

One of the brst things ive ever done. We are all happier.

Yes, was the easiest thing in the world. DS wasn’t happy, we sorted out a new school, DS started and had more friends on the first day than he did in years at the old school. Was a question of finding a fit. No settling in needed,he adored his new school.

Might be different if you have a DD who is leaving behind a close friend, or if the new school isn’t as good. But for us the move was so easy.