Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Primary education

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

Flip

Original poster

Taking ds to school in village I work rather than village we live

23 replies

lstedham · 02/01/2025 11:59

We have a large age gap between DS and DD.
DD is 12, now in secondary school (the school I currently work at). DS is 4 and has only just started full time school in the local primary school where we live (around 20 mins from my work).
So, predicament is, we don't have any family or friends who can help with school pick up, there is currently no after school club in his school and our childminder can be difficult (to put it nicely e.g. threatened to terminate our contract on new year's eve). There are no other childminders with space to pick up from that school, and also when childminder goes on holiday we really struggle with collecting DS from school as I obviously don't have any flexibility in hours as a teacher and DP works away, which causes me lots of stress!
So question is, would you move him to the village school where I work? Logistically would be tons easier! I could drop him off in the morning as I pass to my work and there is an after school club there, so even when I have staff meetings it wouldn't be an issue collecting him.
The only thing bugging me is moving him out of the village school where he lives. Would this be a deciding factor for you? (I don't think I'd ever let him walk to/from school by himself anyway so that wouldn't be a factor).
Please could I have opinions! 🙏🏻

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

maybebabyprobablynot · 02/01/2025 12:01

Are there spaces ? If so I think it sounds like a good idea !

JulietSierra · 02/01/2025 12:02

Do you like the school he’s currently in? What is the other school like? Sounds like you’re going to need a new childminder very soon anyway, may be a good time to make a change.

Onlyvisiting · 02/01/2025 12:02

Where is he likely to go to secondary? If he is probably going to end up at the secondary school in the same area then I would, as presumably ups the chances of the other children in his year ending up the same place?

How far apart are they though, would it make friendships and playdates outside of school more difficult?

Original poster

lstedham · 02/01/2025 12:37

He will be going to secondary in the school I work (all the village schools feed into it).
The primary school in that village is slightly smaller but with a number of other smaller villages feeding into it, whereas the school he's in now is slightly bigger with primarily the kids from his village feeding into it.
I'm not the best at being community spirited unfortunately! 🙈 But could still get him into groups ect to do with the kids around him.
The potential "new" school is 20 minutes away, but as I say, as kids from various villages feed it, play dates could be further away.

OP posts:

mynameiscalypso · 02/01/2025 12:38

How likely are you to be still working there for the next few years?

BoleynMemories13 · 02/01/2025 12:40

I'd move him. After school provision is massively important. You're currently struggling with this, so this is a great solution. It sounds like he'll likely go to the secondary school in the village you work anyway, so friendships won't be an issue as he'll move up with his friends and potentially make secondary friends with people in your own village anyway, if they mainly go to the school where you work.

Make life easier for yourselves.

Bluevelvetsofa · 02/01/2025 12:44

Is there a place in the year? Infant class sizes will apply.
Do you intend to stay at your school long term?

Unexpecteddrivinginstructor · 02/01/2025 12:44

Does the after school club have spaces? Are there any days when you aren't in school and you would still need to take him? To be honest it sounds like the school near you would be generally much easier for you so I would probably move him.

Original poster

lstedham · 02/01/2025 13:03

It's the closest secondary school to us (apart from a town school) so yes would see myself staying unless I had a complete change of career!
I currently don't work on Thursdays, but have been asked a numerous amount of times to do supply and have had to turn it down as I have to collect DS from school, so that could now be an option if I were driving that way anyway and he was in school in the same village. But think I would sacrifice the journey once a week to make life easier in general anyway!
I haven't looked into spaces ect yet.. just wanted to get others opinions on moving him out of school in his community, I know some are totally against it and was feeling massive mum guilt thinking about it, but you've all made me feel better about considering it, thank you!

OP posts:

Microgal · 02/01/2025 13:05

I would…in all for an easy life though!

Bakingwithmyboys · 02/01/2025 13:17

Absolutely move him. I'm sure I have a child in my class who comes to my school as it's nearer to Mum's work. It's a good 20 mins drive for them in the morning if not longer.

Kids are generally resilient when moving school. We moved my eldest when he was in yr 1 and he really surprised me by being absolutely fine. (He is autistic so there were other factors to me worrying).

BoleynMemories13 · 02/01/2025 13:29

lstedham · 02/01/2025 13:03

Given that he'll go to secondary school in this village, I really wouldn't see it as moving him out of his "community". It's an extension of his local community, not an entirely different place he'll have no other connection to.

FoxInTheForest · 02/01/2025 13:35

I'd move him, and sign him up for a club like beavers if available in your village so he can make local friends that way. Also try to get some mums contact details at his current school before you move if you haven't already and you can try to maintain some local friends that way too.
20 minutes isn't too far to manage friendships at the new school either.

OldJaxBoat · 02/01/2025 13:38

A parent in my kid's class does exactly this. It works fine, I think the only thing the kid misses out on is playground after school/bumping into other kids locally or for weekend village events etc. And maybe some might be more reluctant to do a playdate with that kid rather than one who lives down the road.

The only other thing is walking to school by themselves in year five or six. But overall, if it were me I'd definitely go for convenience and less stress every day.

HellofromJohnCraven · 02/01/2025 13:42

I'd move him in a heartbeat!
I wouldn't have considered a school without breakfast club/asc if there was a viable alternative.

ThisQuickPlumFinch · 02/01/2025 13:46

My children all went to the nursery that was based at my work which was 20 minutes drive from my house. The only issue I had was driving to work on my days off to drop them in but overall it worked really well.

It made my life easier 80% time, they made friends and then made friends when they moved to school.

MrsAvocet · 02/01/2025 13:47

You might have to work a bit harder to keep up with social activities - birthday parties etc are likely to be further away and you may find that your DS wants to join the sane Scouts, sports teams and so on as his school friends not necessarily the ones nearest to home. But other than that I can't see any major disadvantages. I always sent my DC to nursery close to work rather than home, and we picked a primary school that was en route rather than the nearest to home. That wasn't the only reason for the decision of course but it was a factor. Of course we all want a good school for our children but it does have to be logistically workable. I think as long as you're prepared to put in the effort to ensure your DS has enough social activities outside school it's fine.

stichguru · 02/01/2025 14:05

I don't think there is a right or wrong here. Things I'd think about:

when he gets old (Y5&Y6) he could walk to the local school with friends he couldn't do that to the further school
when he gets older he could walk to friends houses in the village, but not to the next village
If you are sick, how would he get to school? Presumably other friends at the village school will walk by your house and you could probably pop him out to walk with them. If he's at the further away school, there is less likely to be people going from the village, so someone will need to take him deliberately. Who?
Is there any reason you might change jobs in the next 6-7 years? I guess that would be the other thing. Once you've moved him you probably couldn't/ wouldn't want to move him back. If you end up in a job in the other direction, you'd then have to drive your DC to school, and rely on clubs etc. If he was at the village school, you'd always be driving close on your route, and he might be able to get himself to school and back if he was older. At the other school - he'd HAVE to be driven.

I don't think these mean you shouldn't move him, but I think the positives of the move are clear, so do any of the negatives stand out as ridiculous and insurmountable? I don't think they do.

TickingAlongNicely · 02/01/2025 14:08

20 minutes drive is a lot of peoples catchment school anyway.

PokerFriedDips · 02/01/2025 14:10

Sounds sensible to me

MarchingFrogs · 04/01/2025 11:33

maybebabyprobablynot · 02/01/2025 12:01

Are there spaces ? If so I think it sounds like a good idea !

This, on both counts.

Although 'child of member of staff', if it features at all, may be a fairly high criterion, it would only dictate ranking were a space to come up, not create a space where none exists.

NuffSaidSam · 04/01/2025 11:37

It sounds like a completely sensible choice (just a shame you didn't think of it before he started at the other school).

I'd just check what the other school is like, but if it's as good as the one he's currently at then go for it.

mafsfan · 06/01/2025 19:27

My DC go to my school rather than our village school. They'll go to our catchment secondary which is the desirable secondary for my school, not the catchment but plenty will go. I also have no family childcare and am 100% responsible for childcare so it has to work for me.

I'd rather 7 years (10 altogether by the time youngest finishes!) of easy journeys and wraparound care than the chance they could walk to school in Year 6. Mine meet kids in our village playing out and joining things like local football teams and brownies. They're happy in school anyway.

Flip