Unfortunately, for (good) reasons I will not go into as part of this thread, we may have to change DS? school next year.
DS (who is nearly 4) has attended an independent school nursery for over a year and is due to go into reception next September. The teachers have told us that he plays with all the children and has formed a number of very close friendships. DS is also very proud of 'his school' and feels at home there.
Although we have been reassured that DS' social skills will help make the transition easier for him, we are very concerned that moving him away from his friends will be a real wrench. We would, therefore, really appreciate hearing about the experiences of other parents who have moved a child at a similar time.
In particular, we would be interested to know:
- How soon your child settled into their new school nursery (especially if it was less formal, smaller and more play-based)?
- How you handled telling your DC that they would not be going back to their old school?
- Whether changing nursery at a late stage affected the way in which your DC settled in reception?
- Whether you kept old friendships alive through playdates etc (and how long these early friendships last)?
We are probably worrying unnecessarily, as DS is so young, but we dread the thought of making him unhappy as he is very settled and content at the moment. Any advice on how best to handle such a big change - if we have to make it - will, therefore, be very welcome.