Changing schools in South Manchester midway through year

[BMag]

Hi everyone,

This isn’t a current issue but would appreciate some advice / first-hand experiences.

DD is 2.5 and will be starting school in September 2023, so we’ll need to start looking at / applying for places in September 2022.

I’m currently pregnant with number 2 who’s due early Feb 2022. I’ll probably be going back to work around September 2022, so the same time we’ll be looking at schools.

Our current house is fine for a 3-person family but has limited storage space, a tiny kitchen and already feels a bit cramped sometimes, so we’re looking to upsize before too long.

We live in Whalley Range (South Manchester) and house prices here are very steep. We could get a slightly bigger house for our budget because luckily the price of ours has gone up quite a lot since we bought it, but we would still have to compromise on space and maybe even need to extend in later years.

Another option would be to move out of the area to somewhere less gentrified / expensive. However, depending on when I go back to work this would possibly mean that we’re looking to move out of the area at the same time that we’re applying for schools. We don’t want to move before the baby arrives and I’m not sure what the mortgage company will say about giving us an agreement in principle when I’m still on mat leave (we’re waiting to get an appointment with them to confirm how much we can borrow so I’ll bring it up with them then) - at the minute everything feels so unknown that it’s difficult to feel secure or positive about moving.

What I’d really appreciate is some advice on:

1. Applying for schools, getting a place but then having to reapply elsewhere because you’ve moved - and specifically how Manchester Council supported you doing this (I’ve heard they’re pretty unhelpful).

1. Experiences of changing schools partway through the school year - again specifically in Manchester.

Even just writing this out is making me feel like we should just stay here until DD has done her first year so the pressure is off, but that feels even worse somehow because we’d be uprooting her from her home and her school all at once. Above everything else I want things to feel as stable as possible for her.

Thanks in advance to anyone who has any suggestions!

Not Manchester, but Lancashire. Moving school during the infant years can be difficult if you’re in an area where schools are over subscribed. Class sizes are limited to 30 and schools cannot go above this unless in exceptional circumstances. If you moved house you might find it difficult to get a place in year R-2 because of the class ratios. Over subscribed schools will likely also have a waiting list so even if a reception place did become available you might not get it because it would be offered to those on the waiting list first. This all means you might not get into the school nearest to your new home or the school you like best. This it what tends to happen near to where I live. It’s much easier to move in the junior years because class sizes are allowed to go above 30. Is there no way you could move before your child starts school?

Look to move before you apply for primary. Deadline will be Jan? It's a lot easier to them get a place at a decent school near your house or choose a house near a decent school.
If you move later, you'll be more limited in options. Your DD will be less disrupted too.

We're in south Manchester and there are quite a few children who have moved out of the area but still come to the school my children are at. We moved to the area from another city a few years ago and managed to get a space in year 1 at a good local primary. We spoke to the school directly and the council wasn't involved at all. There's a reasable amount of movement in schools round here and with some of the new primaries that have opened up in the last few year the schools usually have spaces. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just wait and see how things pan out for you.

Tbh it depends on how far you thinking of moving. You can as previous poster said just stay at same school & plenty of kids in south Manchester travel 1/2 hour in car to school etc but it's a pain and huge advantages of very local mates later on

You’ve got until Jan 2023 to apply for a school place. It opens it September 2022 but closes in mid-Jan 2023. When you apply makes no difference at all to your application. We applied very close to the deadline this year due to a house move.

We moved house in late Dec last year while I was on maternity. So long as you can get confirmation from your employer that you have a job to go back too & will be returning, it was no issue at all. Just needed a letter from work.

Start your research now. You’ve got loads of time. We did all this in early 2020, then were delayed cos covid. Look at what you can afford, we spoke to a mortgage advisor early on and got a budget. Look seriously at areas you would considered & then look into the schools. Check their websites, read their ofsted, scour local Facebook groups for anyone asking their opinion on these schools. If you know anyone in the areas you are considering, ask them. We also found admissions criteria, catchment areas & admissions data on the council website so we could see what catchment houses we liked would be in, if the schools were oversubcribed etc!

We narrowed down our search area to two places from all this. Kept a close eye on the housing market. Obviously, had to sell ours & get into a chain.. it wasn’t plain sailing but once the housing market was back in business, we sold, bought, moved in 4 months .. all with a 4 year old & a new baby 🙈 The baby was 3 months when we started the process & 7 months when we moved. It was quite stressful but we did it & by the skin of our teeth to apply for local schools. DD started in September & it’s been fab. I think she’d be heartbroken if we moved her.. I’m mean, she’s forget & resettle I’m sure but starting school was a really big deal for her & she’s settled so well & her teacher said she’s excelling at learning .. I wouldn’t have the heart to disrupt all that I don’t think!

As a pp says, the deadline for applying with be Jan 2023 so you have time to sort after the new baby is born and when you'll be back at work. We moved into our new house on Boxing Day then applied about 2 weeks later.

I think it would make life so much easier all round if you didn't have to move your DD part way through a year (or at all).

Thanks for the replies and sorry for the late response everyone!

I think we’re going to do everything we can to move before January 2023, but by the sounds of it it isn’t the end of the world if we do need to move partway through the year - I’m still uncomfortable with DD’s life being disrupted by it so we’re going to try and avoid it but it’s good to know that finding another school might not be as much of a faff as I originally thought… so just waiting to see how things pan out sounds sensible. It’s just causing arguments for us anyway so I’m going to give up on trying to plan too far in the future.

OP just be careful, areas will vary as to how much movement there is. I know there wasn't any movement at all at my DCs school until the end of Yr 1 (and it was just 1 place) so don't be lulled into the false sense of security that it will definitely be OK. It might be, but there's a chance as a pp says that a space won't come up (or if it does, there will be someone else higher than your DD on the waiting list).