Help - would you change primary schools after 2 weeks?

[Roxyoc]

Hi - My daughter got her 3rd preference primary school and started settling sessions last week with 3 half days and full days this week. She knew no other children starting and has settled really well and is so happy going to school.

For me, The school drop is logically challenging as my sons nursery is a mile in the other direction and no parking near my daughters current school .it has 3 private schools nearby so traffic is horrendous .

today we had an offer from the waitlist of our 2nd preference school . It’s near my sons nursery and on the way to my husbands office so would make life much easier . Several of my daughters nursery friends are also starting there .

should I move her? My husband says it’s crazy given how happy she is in her current school . I think if we move her she will be upset but settle quickly as lots of nursery friends would be at the new school.

would welcome your opinions and experiences of anyone who moved schools in reception please . The council only gave me 24 hours to accept the waitlist position . I’m totally stressed out over the decision.

I’d move her tbh before she makes proper friends
Apart from the location is the school a good school? Have her friend settled well?
Bear in mind you going to be doing these school runs for a long time especially as you have younger child who presumably will start at the same school at some point.
aT the moment the proximity to the nursery is important but once your younger child starts school and you are not using the nursery any more is it still the location still more convenient? Which school is closer to home?

Switch asap, she’ll quickly forget the past few days.

What are the odds of your younger child getting in? I would look further into the future than nursery, as you don't want the nightmare of having the kids at different primary schools.

Does the school have sibling priority for admission? Ie what are your chances of getting your younger one in too when his time comes.

yes I’d swap as you have 7 years of her going and she’s only been there 2 weeks Vs 7 years of convenience!

Yes swap!! It will make your life easier and if your daughter is happy at her school now, it's very likely she will also be at this other school. She'll soon get over the change. (Imagine it was a holiday club she'd been going to for a couple of weeks- she wouldn't be able to keep going to that.)

How long does your son have left at nursery?

Thanks everyone. My son has one year left at nursery and would get sibling priority at whichever school my daughter is at. Is it best if we make the decision or give me the daughter the choice (worry is she could say she wants to stay where she is). I have arranged to go to the new school at 3.20pm to meet her new teacher. Wondering if I should bring my daughger or just my husband.

Your daughter isn't capable of making the choice. I say that as a teacher and someone with a 4 year old. You need to decide which school your actually prefer, not which is most convenient (although that can be a factor in it, but the nursery situation will very quickly become irrelevant). Are they both double/single form entry, do they do forest school, do they set for maths/English, do they offer clubs, do they do wrap around care etc.? Whatever is important to you.

Just move her, it sounds like a no brainer.

Your daughter is in Reception. You make the decision about where she goes to school. She has had a few days in a school and is happy, so that indicates that she’s good at settling, especially as there are children she knows at the new school.

There’s a reason you put the school above the one you were offered. If the reasons still apply, move now, before things are properly settled and make the logistics for your family easier.

As a parent of young kids, i would say do anything you can to make life easier for yourself op :)

Thr nursery point is only a temporary issue, how is the journey without nursery? And which is the better school?

Providing it's a similar standard school, yes, do it quickly before she properly settles.

Ignore the nursery convenience, it will soon be irrelevant. Think about the reasons you listed the new one above the current one in your choices and go back to that. Your daughter is not able to make this decision, it's your choice. Good luck.

Move her. Why make life harder for yourself?

Move her, you have to do the school run for the next seven years, take the least stressful option

I would move her.

Do you know what position she is on the waiting list for your first preference school?
Just wondering if there's a chance she might be offered a place there in a couple of weeks! But assuming that's not a possibility I'd go for the second preference place she's been offered.

Go and see the school today and make sure you're happy with it, then move her if you are.

Honestly, she'll have forgotten by Christmas. Especially as she already has friends at the new one. You're going to be doing school runs for the next eight years - unless you have plans to move nearer the current school, make your life easier.

A four year old cannot make this decision.

On paper, it would seem sensible to move her but just don’t automatically assume that your nursery child will get into the new school because they have a sibling there. Yes, it’s one of the considerations but in my experience, it’s way down on the criteria list. Looked after children etc being at the top. I know someone who’s son didn’t get into the same school as his sister and Romesh Ranganathan has been on my local radio station saying that his youngest didn’t get into the same school as his two siblings. Just something to bear in mind.

Move her.

She's not been there long enough to know if she likes the school. It's extremely common for Reception starters to find the initial starting very exciting and enjoyable, before a slump after a few weeks. So you can't read anything into her fact she is happy other than the school have done a great job of settling in.
I bet she will be equally happy to see her nursery friends again.

Yes I’d move her if the school is better overall.

Thanks so much evertibf everyone .by way of an update I visited the school offered yesterday afternoon .I wasn’t sold on when ww visited .Classrooms are much smaller but outdoor space is significantly bigger and greener. The school also has a lot of free flow play for reception which seemed a bit chaotic . We also learned it has gone from 3 form entry to 2 form entry this year as it didn’t fill all spaces last year. This is a concern of mine as it may mean teachers leaving and less funding. The school is further away (1.4 miles) versus than the current one (0.8 miles) however it is on my husbands way to work and near the nursery . After school clubs, wraparound good in both schools .

so my question is how important is green outdoor space? It is worth a school further away if academic results are the same . what are your thoughts on a school going from 3 firm to 2? Will that change create negative impact ?

I really appreciate all the time people has spent replying . Thank you all. It’s so helpful and I’m very grateful x

It sounds like you need to go with your gut- which seems to be the current school? Which is right for your DC? Personally, I wpildn't change given the information in your update, but I don't know your true feelings about the current school so far!

Free play isn't neccesarily a bad thing. DD's school had this in reception, but it was well supported and organised.

How was the head? You can often tell a lot about the school from.the head. DD's school has a fantastic head, and it was one of many things that gave us a lot of confidence to choose her school.

Green space is nice (and important), but so is the indoor environment, as they are going to be spending a lot of time there! Are the classrooms pleasant and inviting? Do they have a decent library?

The answer about dropping classes may depend a bit on where you are. In London, for example, a lot of schools are shrinking, as families move out of the city and also low birth rates. Other places, it could be symptomatic of something else. Normally it's a decision made after a period of undersubscription.

That said, there is a school close to us that has just dropped a class. It hasn't recruited 3 full classes in a while, and though the number of kids has increased here in that time (despite the low birth rate), we have also had a new primary school built and the reputation of other schools has hugely improved whilst the reputation of their linked junior has taken a nosedive. Is there anything similar to take into account?

The school is...fine, and we have friends who go there, but I didn't choose it for my child as something didn't sit right (plus the linked junior) - it is a bit like night and day against the school she actually went to (catchment, excellent head, PTA very active, huge green field, high expectations).

Also don't underestimate how annoying that extra distance is going to be after the nurswry years! Being able to walk if you need to, and make friends in the immediate area.is very, very helpful.

DS goes to a school with very little outdoor space as it’s close to central London; it’s not a dealbreaker for me. That said, I probably suck up the pain for this year and keep your daughter where she is. Overall, being closer to school is such a bonus and you’re going to have 7 more years of doing it after this year.