Shall we go to Spain or stay around for KS2 SATS?

[MuggleMum]

The situation is this:

We are about to become homeless - we are in rented, about to buy and now our chain has collapsed, or at least is in intensive care. There is no way we can buy the house we wanted (or any other house) before the lease runs out here (3 weeks).

The options are:

(i) try to rent something else, though nothing suitable available at the moment, and we would have to commit to a 6 month lease (ie min £4k outlay in our area) but school life for DDs carries on almost as normal

(ii) while chain sorts itself out, we upsticks and go to Spain to work on a sustainability project for a month, where the DDs would learn all kinds of wonderful things and apart from travel there, token costs only.

The only thing stopping me is that DD in Year 6 wants to do her SATS. Personally, I think SATS are for the benefit of the school and not DD so I'm happy to skip them.

Opinions please.

I would go to Spain. Asssuming you don't have younger children at the school, cos the school will probably be irritated with you.

When the dds were younger I had a plan to take them off to the Amazon for a few months around yr6/sats time, it all sounded too stressful and I'm not a fan of SATS.
But as we got closer - dds are yr6, 5 and 2 now, I've realised the dds don't actually mind the SATS at all, so we haven't opted out. But if that is the only reason for not going to Spain for a month, I'd go.

Which sustainability project is it? my friend went on one.

Thanks Fennel. The project is Sunseed. In south, near Sorbas.

That's the one my friend worked at, he liked it. I thought of going there too at one point.

I would go to Spain

I'd go to Spain too. If you do have younger DCs at school and don't want to piss off the school, just give them a sob story about the house falling through and how stressful it all is and that you're left with no other financial option etc etc. Which is pretty much true anyway. Just lay it on thick!

BTW another option might be to find a holiday let that will give you a good deal on longer term stay but won't sign you up to a comtract. I prefer the sound of Spain though!

SATS or Spain? Is this even a serious question?
Spain of course.

It might look more convincing if you go for the whole term, rather than just the SATS weeks. and I agree, up the sob story about being homeless.

Or, if you don't have younger dc, it doesn't really matter what the school thinks.

I've been waiting for years for my dc to be old enough to take them out of school for a few months and do exciting things, but somehow we can't find an age when all 3 are old enough not to be pests on long journeys, yet young enough for it not to be a problem missing school. And having moved primary schools twice mid year already, I don't think we can face doing it too many more times.

If you have one yr 6 child, this would be a great time.

Won't you still be homeless when you come back though? Can you sort out buying somewhere from Spain? What if the chain disintegrates completely. Sorry, but to me it doesn't sound very practical. Short term rentals do exist - although they may be harder to find. I'd do Spain in the summer holidays instead, once you've got your house here sorted, I'm afraid.

Spain.

Spain.

The only thoughts I have are:
Will you be returning ?
Where will DD be going to school?

When she moves on to her senior school they will have to assess her on arrival I guess , as to her academic ability.. . .
but this isnt a major problem I dont think.

God I would jump at the chance of going to Spain.

Sod the SATS. DD never did hers (we went to France) and it never made the blindest bit of difference.

Are you sure things will all be sorted by the time you come back from Spain? Presumably you have a place for DD in a new school for Yr 7 so you have to find somewhere to live by then. Personally I would go with a six month let - yes it's a lot of money but a heck of a lot easier to sort out buying a property from here than from Spain. Unless I'm missing something it sounds like you fancy the time in Spain (which makes sense of course!) and are using this situation as a reason to go there ,when it may actually complicate things a lot.

Our LEA would refuse you the leave, and if you took it, they would prosecute you.

Thanks for all your thoughts. Husband, poor bread winner that he is, will be stuck here, camping in someone's spare room and keeping an eye on the property market and inching our chain along. If our property purchase does fall through completely then we will have to rent, but I would trust him to choose somewhere.

But yes, Vicky2011 has spotted that I would just like to go abroad, and use this setback as an opportunity to do something a bit more exciting. Also, my feeling is that if you don't do it before Year 7 you never will. Our homelessness just makes it a cheap option at the moment....

And besides, it'll be too hot in south of Spain after May ....

I do think it'll never get any easier than now. I speak as one knowing I am leaving it too late myself. I can't believe it'll be easier to take them out of secondary school for a few months. Go for it!