moving schools in year 1

[julesrose]

An opportunity has come up for us to move dd to a new school in September. There are lots of reasons why this school would be better but she is very settled where she is. Has anyone moved their child, and if so what was it like for them?

I'm moving a yr 2 and yr 3 in Sept and am worried about it too but keep being reassured that they'll adapt really quickly.
Hope So ...
Please reassure us everyone x

My dds moved in the middle of yrs 1 and reception, and then again 6 months later in the first term of yr 2 and yr 1. Not ideal, but they were fine. in fact the second time, we gavem them the choice (the school they'd been in for 6 months or the new school round the corner from the new house). They chose to move for a second time. So it can't have been that traumatic.

So many children move at this stage, it is often not a problem at all. I didn't particularly want to move them, and certainly not twice, but it really hasn't been too difficult.

How long does it take them to settle, adapt, make new friends...I know it depends a lot on their personality but any reasurrance and advice would be appreciated!

list reasons and I shall judge

How under observation do I feel!
Well - its co-ed, mixed ability, no homework til 9yrs, no SATS. Progressive educational ideology - child centred, loads of play, focus on emotional and social development is just as important as academic attainment. It goes through til 18yrs so no hideous stress at 11 (and there is no decent secondary comp where I live). It's non-denominational and all the children I know of that go there love it. Please judge!

well so far sounds rather like a no-brainer isn't it?

now list reasons why she should stay where she is

isn't it? isn't it? ... doesn't it!

that's what happens when one tweaks what one is writing... sorry

It's up the road (compared to 10 min drive), she's happy and likes going, she's made a lot of lovely friends, it's got a pretty good atmosphere and 'outstanding' ofsted.

so she's well-adjusted and makes friends easily but might have to leave them behind at 11 - what would she do at 11 if she doesn't move now?

can you really not walk to the other school (that would bother me)

is the school you're considering moving to a steiner school by any chance?

So what are the bad points about current school then julesrose?

DD moved in first term of Y1. Absolutely fine. It doesn't take them long to make new friends. Now in Y3 and old school is a distant memory.

I moved my DC, one was in yr 2. She was fine, made friends right away. I was a nervous wreck but it was fine. The school will probably have a 'friend system' where someone looks after your child. New kids are usually very popular and everyone wants to be there friend. Good luck.

No not a steiner school! It's an independant school with a specific philosophy and there's no argy bargy with any candles or anything like that. We could get the bus and when she's bigger walk there. At 11 it looks like she'd do what the rest of them do - sit exams for a load of competitive girls schools that I don't like the look of anyway, or move house and we dont want to do that either.
Ingles - Apart from the pretty straight laced style of education, H/W, sats and religion there's nothing wrong with the school. In fact I've made quite a few mum friends and I will miss it!

UQD and jellybeans - thanks, very reassuring!. Why did you move your dc - and how did you prepare them?

Moved ours just for convenience - nearer home, local catchment. And better school too. We had to appeal to get in. (We'd moved, but failed to get a place initially.) As for preparation, well we just talked about it openly, made it sound really exciting. It helped that we could say her friend from Rainbows was in going to be her class.

We moved too and kept them at their old school at first (too scared to change them at first!), which was only a couple miles away, but after a while we found it easier to change to the local school due to distance and having lots of trips with the youngest starting nursery. We took them to look round one afternoon and they spent an hour in their new class and were introduced to everyone. They also spent the last day of the term they left at new school instead of old which made it much less scary when they actually started the next term as they knew people by then.

My ds was in one school in reception,then we moved and he went to a new school. He lasted a term; my usually calm, placid and empathic little boy was so unhappy he bit someone! It was not a friendship issue, it was not due to the change, his new school was simply not right for him.

I moved him again at the end of the Autumn Term of year 1 to his current school and we immediately got our son back again He is now in Year 7 and has no intention of changing schools until he leaves at 18!

What I am trying to say is, moving schools can be traumatic for dc, but if it is to the right school, they settle very quickly; they are generally far more resilient than we give them credit for!

I moved my 2 last September at the end of Reception and Yr1 and they have settled in really well. DD has lots of new friends and ds is one of a really close trio of boys.

They settled in within a term, but friendships didn't settle into 'best friends' until mid Spring term.

Mine are military brats and DD1 is in year 3 in her 4th school - she starts a new one every september. She settles in very easily and has lots of friends (very adaptable child!). DD2 has just been statemented, walks and talks funny, isn't a very adaptable child, and starts yr R in september - this way of life isn't going to work out any longer! DS1 fairly non-commital - he thinks he's a genius as that's what his first school told him, in this one the teachers think he's a lazy toad (I agree). All horses for courses but as long as it's all done matter of factly and the children are prepared, we've not (yet) had any problems... if you agree with the school ethos and are looking long term, then go for it.