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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Entering Reception after time abroad?

22 replies

AChanceAtSchool · 09/12/2016 14:10

I am considering a temporary move abroad, but am feeling afraid to go because of school.

I have written on here before about when my DC would start reception. Based on the helpful answers I received, this is the timeline we are looking at:

Return to UK Xmas 2018
Apply to school Jan 2019
Hopefully be offered a place April 2019
Start Reception Sept 2019.

Obviously if we move abroad DC will lose their place at the local childcare. Since I have to be resident in the UK to make the school application, am I right in thinking that I basically have to sit here twiddling my thumbs with no childcare from Xmas 2018 to September 2019?

Can that be right? It seems so crazy. I won't necessarily have a job to come back to straight away, but I'd like to at least have the option. I can't though, can I, if DC has nowhere to go all day?

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LuchiMangsho · 09/12/2016 14:18

You can look for a childminder? Or a nanny? There will be childcare options. They won't be cheap.
Your children will also be entitled to their 15 free hours by then at a nursery (if you can find one with a place).

Original poster

AChanceAtSchool · 09/12/2016 14:27

Thanks LuchiMangsho. Yes, we will have options, but it just seems such a shame to have to get a nanny at that stage - she'd be dying for group activities. And the current childcare provision is so good... there wouldn't be places anywhere local when we came back, DC would be too old by that stage.

General consensus: do you consider the following timeline too disruptive?

Feb 2017 (age 2yrs 4months): remove from current, much-loved nursery
circa April 2017 (I hope!): start new nursery abroad
November 2018: return to UK, spend 9 months at home/with nanny/childminder
September 2019: start new school

OP posts:

LuchiMangsho · 09/12/2016 14:28

It's fine. Kids are hugely adaptable. I have lived on multiple continents though so I am quite blasé about moves and so on. How much of a language shock will there be?

MashaMisha · 09/12/2016 14:36

It depends on the child. You can't really tell how they are going to cope until you do it - so I would say go for it, if your heart is set on it!

I will say, though, that we did similar, and it did take my DC a while to settle after the move abroad and start speaking the language (obviously this isn't an issue if they already speak the local language, don't know it that is the case with you). I would say it took my 2 and a half year old more than 2 years to settle in properly, and we were getting pretty worried.
Then we moved again (which was a bit of a gamble!) - and they settled pretty much immediately, no problems at all.

Original poster

AChanceAtSchool · 09/12/2016 14:38

Language thing will be fine, as one of us already speaks it.

If I'm honest, it's not so much the time away as The Return that I'm worried about. I know DC will be fine with the move but I do worry about returning home, on a bit of a down (or maybe I'll be hugely relieved, who knows?) but it just seems so crazy that there's almost a year between having to be resident, and actually getting to send them to the school. The nursery have already said that all their places are gone by the time they start in September (ie, Sep 2018) so DC wouldn't be able to go there. We'd have to pay through the nose for less suitable childcare - I feel quite unhappy about that.

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Jeffjefftyjeff · 09/12/2016 14:39

We moved abroad when ds was just 2, also leaving much loved nursery. Applied for reception from abroad. Got the place we wanted. Moved back a month before school started. He took it all in his stride. We visited school on a trip back and also lined up some play dates through friends of friends so he knew people when he started.

(In case you're wondering about the applying for reception from abroad part: due to our tenants leaving the house we owned we were paying council tax at the time of application. I was also a uk tax payer whilst abroad but don't remember being asked about this on the form. We were prepared for it not to work out but got the place we wanted)

HowMuchDoWeNeed · 09/12/2016 14:39

"it took my 2 and a half year old more than 2 years to settle in properly, and we were getting pretty worried.
Then we moved again (which was a bit of a gamble!) - and they settled pretty much immediately, no problems at all."

MashaMisha when you moved for the second time, was it to your original location or somewhere totally new?

HeyRoly · 09/12/2016 14:40

Since I have to be resident in the UK to make the school application, am I right in thinking that I basically have to sit here twiddling my thumbs with no childcare from Xmas 2018 to September 2019?

What makes you think this? It depends where you live obviously, but in my town there are lots of nurseries and preschools that would have places for 3/4 year olds.

Poocatcherchampion · 09/12/2016 14:42

Are you wanting a school place in somewhere oversubscribed?

Where I live the schools are basically full in reception but there is plenty of childcare available so you wouldnt need a nanny

HowMuchDoWeNeed · 09/12/2016 14:44

Jeffjefftyjeff This is really helpful.

Would the school have minded that you weren't actually living in your property at the time? Sorry if that sounds rude, I'm just wondering if that could work for us - I don't want to do anything that could jeopardise our potential place, but also - for god's sake! I can't put our lives on hold for 9 months for the sake of a primary school that we may not even got a place at. We have years of being at the mercy of the school's schedule ahead of us, I'd like to delay it as much as possible if I can!

NannyR · 09/12/2016 14:47

Where I live there are lots of school type nurseries that always seem to have spaces for pre schoolers. Only term time hours but some do wraparound care or have arrangements with private nurseries for out of school and holiday care.

HowMuchDoWeNeed · 09/12/2016 14:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

AChanceAtSchool · 09/12/2016 14:54

Poocatcherchampion

Excellent name! yes everything is oversubscribed here :( or expensive, like £80 a day (that's a lot to me, anyway!)

OP posts:

Jeffjefftyjeff · 09/12/2016 15:40

I can't remember the specifics but I imagine we used the home address in the school catchment area as post was diverted to where we were living. We didn't intentionally lie at any point and were up front with the school and Local authority as we wanted to be honest. In fact there was a free text box on the form and we said the only people ds knew were at the school (his nursery linked to the school), it would help him adjust back to the uk. This was 5 years ago so lots could have changed but in case useful.

My son benefited in loads of ways from our time overseas (friendships, experiences, confidence) so it would have been worth it even if we hadn't been lucky with schools I think.

MashaMisha · 09/12/2016 15:43

HowMuch second move was somewhere totally new - but the language was (with some local differences) the same as the first move, so not quite so much of a culture shock.

Poocatcherchampion · 09/12/2016 15:47

Are you wanting a school place in somewhere oversubscribed?

Where I live the schools are basically full in reception but there is plenty of childcare available so you wouldnt need a nanny

Mary21 · 09/12/2016 17:51

I think that maybe you are over thinking things. Your current nursery which is perfect now might not be in 2 years time. I would go abroad and sort out whatever childcare is right when you come back. Be it nursery, childminder. At home with you and going to pre school ballet/ gym/what ever goes on in your area. She will be 4 then and her needs and yours will be different. Also 2 years abroad may change your thinking.
Enjoy your move

LIZS · 09/12/2016 17:59

Can you ask the nursery to hold a place from Jan 2018, you won't need to be resident. They may not agree of course, or may ask for a retainer. Tbh by then your dc will have changed and may be ready for a different setting anyway. There are always drop in groups if you aren't working.

gabster33 · 10/12/2016 20:19

Often there is a lot of movement so you may get a place on return at either your previous nursery or in a school pre school as they have Jan intakes and you can find childminder wrap around care. I wouldn't expect you will find no where suitable for a whole 9 months. The prioritise the older children normally as well for spaces as they know they are only there for 9 months etc.

Original poster

AChanceAtSchool · 10/12/2016 20:28

"I think that maybe you are over thinking things." Mary21 you are so right

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Andcake · 10/12/2016 22:05

Ok are you going to return to the exact same property...will you be paying the council tax whilst you are away. We moved to the area my ds started reception in and had to get lots of paperwork done to prove residency but if that was all in place would know where I actual lived.does that make any sense.

Original poster

AChanceAtSchool · 11/12/2016 23:03

"The prioritise the older children normally as well for spaces as they know they are only there for 9 months etc."

This is helpful - I hope so!

Andcake - we will let the place out. I can't imagine how there are so many landlords paying the Council Tax for their properties. Surely the tenants would want and need to have their own names on the CTax? It's a "family" home so without it the tenants wouldn't be able to secure childcare for their own children?

OP posts:

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