Those who have moved their DC from one local school to another- can you help?

[WoodenOwl]

We are thinking about moving DD from one local primary to another. She is year 1. This is not because of any major incident, but lots of small reasons that amount to us wondering whether she is in the right place.

Obviously, DD's happiness and education is the most important factor in all this and that is what we will base our decision on- but I wanted to hear from others who have also moved their DC's schools within the locality (due to not being happy with the first) as to some of the ins and outs of this decision.

For eg, how did other parents react (especially those you may have made friends with?). Did your DC continue to see friends they had made at the previous school after they moved? What was reaction of teacher/head teacher once they knew your DC would be leaving? I noticed on the in- year application form that the present school will be informed of your intention by the LA.

Just to add to the mix- we are in a small community where most children attend the village school, mobility to and from the school is low, and if we did move schools, while it wouldn't be far away, I do wonder if we will always be the family where the local school wasn't good enough....

Would be interested to hear all experiences of those who have made this kind of move.

I would just be wary that no school is perfect so you may not end up better off. What type of issues?

no, changed friends
do what is best for your dc
ignore others' opinions

We moved our DCs although neither school was particularly geographically local to us because we live a bit out of the way. My DD who was the older, ended up developing a new group of friends and my DS kept up with some old friends because they played football together. I kept my original friends from the first school and made more at the new school. One friend also minced her DCs to the new school.

How did autocorrect make minced out of moved?

Don't let the views of others be a big thing in your decision making. Other parents won't be overly keen, as they take an implied sense that you think the school their children are still going to, isn't good enough (which od course, is exactly why you are moving your child) However, you will probably stay in Touch with 2 or 3 parents you have made good friends with and still bump into others in the area. You will probably have to make more of an effort to maintain your friendships, but it is possible to do so, if you are keen.
I also wouldn't let the child's friendships dominate the decision too much. Although it an be hard to believe, children move on quickly and make new friends. And again, it is perfectly possible to maintain a couple of old friendships. Perhaps your child goes to things like Brownies or Scouts and so will see old friends there too.
I wouldn't tell people too far in advance that it is what you are doing, or definitely not until it is certain. And I would have an answer ready for the inevitable question about why. Try to make the answer focused on your child, rather than the school itself or what you don't like about the current school.

FWIW, I did this a few years ago. I have maintained close contact with a couple of the mums from the old school, although it isn't quite the same as seeing them daily at the school gate. I make small talk with other old mums I bump into and it is fine. Son made new friends very quickly. He still consider his best friend from the first school to be his best friend, but also has a new best friend in the new school too. And he has had the odd invite to parties of the old crowd too. However, he moved on quickly and it was far less of an issue than I imagined it would be.

It is worth remembering that no school is perfect. There will be things you don't like about the new one too. Having said that, if you feel the new school will deliver the education you want for your child better than where they are, do it!

Thank you all- good to hear the experiences of others. I understand that any school will have aspects that we are not happy with at various times which is why we are still mulling this over. It's hard to know at what point you draw a line in the sand and move schools. Some of the things are too identifiable for me to mention- specific incidents that I've spoken to friends about. But at least one issue relates to the size and structure of the school and how that is impacting DD which is not going to change much for the foreseeable future.

Everything ChocolateWombat said.

Plus: whilst the leadership and ethos of the school is important, my dcs experiences have also been shaped by their classmates. The difference between being in a class with lots of friends, or in one with lots of disruption is significant.

I moved dd in yr 1 and it was the best decision I ever made. Dd didn't go to the village school initially and when I moved her she went to a different school but still not the school that is our catchment.
She made new friends, a few of her first friends also moved schools in the months following although dd had moved on friendship wise. No parent at her first school was happy and so understood why we moved her and we weren't either the first or last to move their child.

I moved dd at the end of Year 3. It was a very hard decision to make as I was very involved with her previous school via PTA and then governors. However, I had to make a decision in the best interest of my child.

All the friends I had made through the school were very supportive and I didn't encounter any negativity. I was very careful never to criticise the previous school in any way as there were many aspects we were very happy with.

We still see several of the families from the previous school. Dd may end up going to secondary school with all her old class-mates.