Changing promary schools

[marsden2008]

My daughter is currently in year 4 and we now lice 2 miles from here primary school we walk this distance snd normally takes around 1 hour as my 2 year old is with us. Her brother is in year 6 so will be moving to high school in september she has an expressed an interest in moving to the school near where we live 5 mins walk as her younger brother is currently in nursery here and is a really good school i just wanted peoples views on moving her when she is in year 4/start of year 5 im worried that she wont make any new friends and she will miss her old school too much when she moves and dont want her to be struggling or sad etc for the last 2 years of primary but she seems to want to move and the school close by is a good school? X

I was torn, but moved DS in year, during y3, so a bit younger than your DD.
It was absolutely fine. Within a month, it was as if he'd always been a part of the class.
Good luck.

Aww thats good we moved house 2 years ok i really wish id have just done it then 😣 x

I would move her if there is space it sounds fine I think even in year 4 they are still young really and settle quickly.

MockneyReject thank you x

Thank you i think i will set up a visit to the school fof her and see if she can meet some of the children that would be in her class x

Moved my son middle if year 4. Hes outgoing and while it took a while to find his friends he coped well. My daughter moved in middle of year 2 and is mush more introvert so took her alot longer (plus she did not like her new teacher at all) but eventually settled in.
If she's expressed an interest and it will be easier for you why not? You cant second guess this stuff it will be an adjustment at any time.

Thank you yes it would be a lot easier for my daughter aswell really at the moment she has to get up at 5.45am to be ready to go out and we have to leave at 7am if she moved she would have to be until 7.45am and she wants to move its just a hard decision and dont want to mess her up she used to be really shy but shes not too bad now and does generally makes friends easily x

It’s worth finding out at this stage if they have spaces or whether they have a waiting list, so that you can manage her expectations if she might not get a place straight away. Obviously if there’s spaces then not an issue

Yes thank you im going to ring school on tuesday when they are back in and find out x

Start of yr5 is a fine time to move- she’ll have a good amount of time to settle and make friends before transition to yr7. Any help needed ahead of the SATs (boosting its stretching) can be in place.
We have had children move schools a couple of weeks before SATs, which is challenging all round- anything else is a breeze in comparison!

If it’s an academy they’ll do their own admissions.

If it’s a maintained school, admissions are done by the local authority and although the school will be able to tell you if there are any spaces, some don’t.

If it’s maintained you’ll need to complete an in-year transfer form and send it to the LA.

I wouldn’t visit until you’ve had an offer of a place for the reasons PP have said.

I just moved my daughter in y5. She's settled brilliantly. I and her friends parents have worked hard to keep her friends at her old school. We aren't yet at socialising with new school mates but she goes to discos etc it's only been less than a term. Hopefully I can get my son in at some point but it's not looking hopeful as they are already over pan in his year.

Thank you everyone i think we will just go ahead with this once she has visited the school and if they have places available x

If they have space just move her. Huge benefits. She'll settle quickly.

In my role I’ve worked with a lot of parents in your situation and I would always advise visiting on your own first, so you can ask questions without your DD there. Then if you think she’d be happy there, put in your in-year application.

Once that’s been received, if the school has a space and you’re offered it, go and visit with your DD.

If there’s a waiting list, find out where you are on the list so you know if it’s going to be a quick move or whether you’ll be waiting months. Visit with your DD once you’re offered a place.

And check if the sibling rule works downwards - in my LA it’s older siblings already at the school that bumps you up the list, not younger siblings.

Please don’t listen to people saying “she’ll settle quickly”. No one knows - we’ve had children who have really struggled with a move in year 1 and taken until year 3 to properly settle back in and make new friends.

Perfect time to move her friendship wise- it tends to be around this time that girls friendships all change around anyway. If she's expressed an interest herself, it also suggests that she will be open to the move which makes it easier to get her settled.

Assuming the school is ok when you visit (and I'd argue the benefits of close school are so strong that it would have to be awful for you to reject it), I'd get her moved, or her name down to move asap.

Another thought - if you can't get her moved straight away, she's getting to "playing out" age, so I'd really encourage that if you can as she'll get to know local children - is there a local park/area where children of this age tend to gather?