Moving school in reception, how early to tell child?

[birdseed]

We want to move our DS to a different school, closer to home as it is much more play based and we think would be much better for him. Trouble is that he has made some friends and so may be resistant to the change. How far ahead should I tell him? Has anyone got any experience of doing this/ how early did you tell your child?

It will take a week or so for place to be allocated (they have places). And so I could just not send him back on monday, and give him a week at home which he will love. But I don't want him to be putting up the barriers about moving schools and having a week to get his knickers in a twist about it. But equally telling him one evening that he is going the next day doesn't seem very fair either.

Any one any experience to share?

Given the timescale is short I'd tell him straightaway so that he can start to get his round it. Different if he wasn't moving schools until Easter or something.

Tell before finishing at the old school so can say goodbye, or just tell him after his last day and not go back...?

Definitely give him a chance to say goodbye and stress that he can keep in touch with his friends. It may be of course that he has been with the children at his current school such a short period of time that contact fizzles out straight away.