Year 1 - moving schools

[debs40]

My ds is in Y1. I have posted previously about problems we have had with the school.

It has a new head and I was really hopeful of a constructive new start.

I posted last week because I went to see her on a couple of issues and she was really rude and very defensive. I was very polite and tried to explain about why I was concerned but she gave me short shrift.

I now feel that if I have a problem, I wouldn't know where to turn as she is not interested

My son is ok at school. It doesn't light up his world. He likes playtime. But I suppose that is what most 5 year olds are like. He just seems disinterested as he seems to be made to sit in his seat all day and so he daydreams.He told me the best thing about school was a book about wolves which he keeps under his chair to read but that it was a secret!

It is a very regimented environment with no discernible desire to encourage creativity. It feeds into a junior school which is know as the 'crammer for the grammas' (yes, we have the 11+ here) and I just fear that things will get worse with the new Head. She has now started telling 5 year olds off because she spotted one had painted toenails when they did PE!

I have seen the Head of another local school - one of the few non-faith schools here and she seemed fine. Great Ofsted report.

I really feel I have to move my son as does my husband but how would you broach this with a 5 year old? he has one close pal at school but doesn't really bother with anyone else. But this school is what he knows.

Equally, I don't want to keep him in an environment which is not good for him just because I'm scared of the initial upset.

I was going to talk to him today about how he feels about his school.

Any advice

[AMumInScotland]

It doesn't sound like the school is the right environment for him - and it's much less disruptive to move him at this stage than to keep struggling on for ages in the hope that it gets better.

I would go to see the possible new school yourself (or you and DH) and make sure you're happy with it. Then I'd say to DS that you have found another school which is nicer and he'd be happier there, and you plan for him to go there from October/Christmas/whatever.

At 5, I'm not sure that he understands the options well enough to make the choice himself, though if he totally hates the idea when you talk to him then you should take it into consideration. But you have to remember he has nothing to compare his current school with, so he may not think another school would be any different.

[debs40]

Thanks for that.

I spoke to ds today and he said he wanted to stay at his school. When we got down to why, he wanted to stay because of his best friend. I said what would he do if his friend left and he said he would want to go to.

I completely understand this. His friend provides security.

It makes me so angry that I'm placed in this position.