Help - did your DC go to a different school to their friends?

[PoppadumPreach]

OK, I'm having a bit of a flap and would appreciate your thoughts.

have applied to catchment school (school A) as we liked it best and there were logistical advantages. It is very likely we will get it. many kids from our village go to a closer school (school B) (it is in different county hence not catchment school).

I have just found out that at least one of my DC1s friends will be going to school B. I am worried all the others will get into school B to and my son will be only one going to school A.

I am fretting that my son is going to be friendless starting school - did this happen to anyone else? were they ok in making new friends? did they settle well?

having been all relaxed about this schools thing I'm now most definitely not.

thank you everyone, again. this is Mumsnet at its best - i am really reassured by what you are all saying.

i went to the playgroup in the village that DS school will be - they run a session on a friday purely for the 4 year olds who will be starting school this coming september. he will be starting this friday - and meeting his new primary school teacher as she is coming to visit that day. hopefully in the next few months he can meet some of his future class mates. i feel a bit more relaxed!

It sounds as if you are doing all the right things. Dd1 only knew one other girl when she started at her school, and no one from her preschool went. There were three drop in sessions (though missed one with a last term time holiday). She soon settled (despite appearance of ds 3 weeks into term). By half term she barely remembered preschool, two terms later she didn't recognise a girl who had been a friend at her preschool, and was adamant it must be someone else.

The other thing you can try to arrange are some play at the park sessions. Just identify a few times during the summer holidays when you can go to the playground, and recruit a few other families, if possible try to let as many people know as you can, so someone turns up! There will be other parents like you wanting to familiarise their children.

By a freak of the catchments last year we missed out on DS going to same school as his nursery friends. He knew noone in a class of 90. I was very worried as he is shy anyway. But guess what he loved it from the beginning and was / is fine. He attached very strongly to his teachers who came on a home visit in the first week. He loves the structure and has loads of friends.

Some of the girls that were 'best friends' in nursery and went together to the other school - are less good friends now.

In my view its just as good for them to start from scratch at this age anyway.

This is reassuring. We are thinking of sending our very shy DS to a primary school where he will only know one boy who nursery says he doesn't play with and DS says he doesn't like. I'm awake stressing over it as we have to make the decision by tomorrow!

My DD is 8. We are looking to move her to private school in sept and only 1 of 60 children she is at school with currently will go with her too.

All the others are going to lacal state. She wants to go with them, but we regard the private school as best option for her.

Its very difficult - but she cant start deciding - its down to mum and dad, surely?