Changing Schools Year 1

[CherylB27]

We had a terrible time last year when we did not get any of our 4 choices of primary school. We were allocated to another school 3 miles away. Despite all the initial upset, my daughter has now settled in and loves school.

We found out a few months ago that the local secondary school has changed their rules to only accept feeder schools (of which our allocated school is not) and that the secondary school near to where my daughter now attends works on catchment only (which we do not fit). So we could face going to a bad secondary school miles away in 5 years' time.

I found out today that it looks like we will be offered a place at a local village school which will feed into our local secondary school. It's a smaller school. It's smaller than the current school with a a lovely feel and it will mean we will get into the secondary school. I'm all up for moving my daughter BUT what scares me is the complete emotional turmoil it will mean for my daughter. She is the youngest in the year and had a very tough time settling into Reception last year.

Can I risk putting her through all that again or do we leave it and hope that something changes with the secondary school rules in the next 5 years?

Has anyone any advice or has anyone moved a child in Year 1? How did they get on? I'd be grateful for your comments!

I didn't move DD in Y1, but she is on her 3rd primary school (she's just started Y3). We did do a major house move midway through Y1 which meant leaving all her local friends, the stage-school she went to on Sundays and a change from Central London to a sleepy village so I have a fair idea of how a child can react.

We decided to keep her at her London primary and we now commute an hour each way by train which has worked really well. The decision not to move primary was because the London one was a lot better than the local one - which had no space anyway at the time. Had it been amazing, or a feeder for a great secondary then we would have tried to move her.

Y1 is a much better time to do a move than later on if you are going to do it. I've noticed that friendships are much more solid now and DD is a lot more loyal and invested in the school than she was in Y1.

When we moved her part way through YR, she very sweetly told the new HT that she was NOT looking forward to coming to her new school and would HATE every minute she was there. The HT laughed and said that was a shame as they were looking forward to having her. She spent the first 2 weeks telling me she wanted to go back to the old school and how miserable she was and that she had no friends - after 3 weeks she stopped mentioning the old school, and now she has to be dragged home at the end of every day and can't wait to get there in the mornings.

Children are incredibly adaptable. It's not easy keeping on smiling when they tell you what an awful day they have had and that moving school has ruined their life forever, but they don't keep it up for long (plus the staff told me that she was perfectly happy all day, lots of friends and having fun).

I would move. She will adapt. And it is always better to be at a school that's closer. By the time she gets to year 7 she won't even remember year 1. Remember it's only six years!

My DD moved in Y1. Was totally fine, no problem.

I moved one in yr1 it was easier than moving an older child. You need to work a bit harder on playdates etc as parents are established with who has who round etc. If you don't move her then it sounds as if she will be separated from friends by yr 7 anyway.

Ds was in reception last year and found it very hard to settle and we had lots of ups and downs but finished the year fully settled in....then we needed to move schools. Ds was dreading it but after the first day he loved it and never looked back. They adapt quickly and unlikely to remember it in a year or two.