Changing dc schools again

[decisionssmecisions]

Hello,
Looking for advice really. We relocated & one reason we settled where we did was due to an excellent local school.
Anyway buying house took ages & the excellent school that had spaces then didn’t. Could only get spaces in a primary school that was a 25min walk /20min drive away & dc started in May 23. The school is good but pretty average in terms of results. Positives are dc settled in really well; play dates, invites etc, in the first month & I have made some mum friends. Anyway the original school which I had forgotten about phoned yesterday to say they can offer me two spaces. The school is closer, the holidays align with mine (I also work in a school) & the results & enrichment offered is outstanding.
Would it be terrible to move my dc again? I’m more concerned about my eldest in yr 5.

I'd probably question why an outstanding school with excellent enrichment had spaces in the years you need three months into the new school year tbh. How long since they got the rating? I might be overly suspicious though.

Ooh, that’s hard. My instinct is to stay, and if it were only your dc in y5 you were considering, I imagine that’s what you’d do. How old is the youngest child? And what’s the distance to the new school?

When you say outstanding results, do you mean ofsted or the SATS rating?

@hiredandsqueak we’ve been on the waiting list for almost a year (didn’t actually move in straight away) & its a 4 form entry. Practically next door as well so went to the top of list. they were last inspected in 2019. Tbh I don’t have any concerns re the school more just the impact of moving my dc again & if it’s worth it. So scores for reading are 3.1; maths 4.6 and writing is 3.2 with 84% at expected standard & 34% at exceeding which is well above current school.

@SprogTakesAQuarry SATS & ofsted, both great.

Yes, if just Yr 5 child I would likely leave him although I know he would like more friends in the immediate area & for my holidays to “match” plus he’s keen to walk home in yr 6 which I wouldn’t allow at the current school. But the youngest has yrs to go.

actually i think it’s a 3 form

youngest is 6

I wouldn't move them, seems very unfair to your year 5 child.

I think there is a lot to be said for having a school where your child is happy tbh. That said I'm the parent that eschewed the very local outstanding and sent dd to a school in an area of high deprivation rated only good. What do your children think?Do they want to be uprooted fromtheir friends again?

@N4ish why do you think it would be unfair? I asked her & she is not sure. We moved from one part of London to another & schools here are fairly transitory so they are used to movement, half her old class left during covid.

I would move them. The other school sounds much better.

@hiredandsqueak the youngest doesn’t seem too bothered but he is happy & obviously very young. Eldest I thought would be more against & if she was adamant I would leave her but shes open to the idea. Her previous school was excellent & she has said she misses some of the teaching & clubs that are offered.

Can you move the little one and not the older one?

I think i’m anxious because they settled in so easily whereas I thought it would be much harder & Im thinking I don’t think I will get that lucky again.

Can you move the little one and not the older one?

I could but not sure how I would manage both pickups etc & then they would have different holidays which is annoying.

I don't see what the problem is if DD has said she would be OK with moving. It sounds like there would be a lot of advantages for her if you did move her to the other school. Maybe she hasn't formed deep friendships yet, maybe there is a wider choice of clubs and activities at the bigger school: if she was unhappy to be moving ,surely you would know about it. I would say go for it.

Thanks @DelphiniumBlue, I wouldn’t say she has super strong friendships yet. I guess Im scared of doing it & her not liking it as I would hate to make her unhappy.

Does the move (or not) have any ramifications for Secondary School?

I absolutely would. So much to be said for a walkable school run, with lots of local friends.

@senua no, apart from potentially better sat results.

@NancyJoan thats what we had at our old school & I miss it.

I guess I'm scared of doing it & her not liking it as I would hate to make her unhappy.
Presumably you can do a taster day.

So they feed to the same secondary schools? Will moving you eldest enable her to make friends she can move up to secondary with that she won't be able to from the current school?

Thinking about it the new school would be more likely to have dc moving to one of the same secondaries as the current school is in another borough. There are quite a few secondary options here & there’s quite a lot of movement so it wouldn’t be the norm for all dc to go to the same secondary if that makes sense.