Has anyone had 2nd thoughts/regrets about moving schools (11+)

[EarlybirdsToo]

We are currently prepping lightly for the 11+, with a view to moving from a nurturing/non pushy primary. DD is smart and happy at present but we arent sure the school gets the results. We are looking at applying to Henrietta Barnett as local, NLCS, Habs, and the North London Consortium. We have no real preference so want to try them all.

My worry is we move DD and regret it. Current place is convenient however NLCS and Habs would be a trek. The decision may be made for us if we don't get in anywhere but I wondered if anyone had moved their children and regretted it.

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It's a tricky balance... You don't want to move and regret it, especially as she's settled at the moment.

Have you spoken with your DD about it? We did the same with DS about whether he wanted to go through entrance exams. It made everything easier after that as he could own the decision, rather than feeling we were forcing him to. (We had actually moved him earlier from his previous school, and that was very much a joint decision.)

There's the academic q but also friendships too. Most ppl who move to NLCS or Habs don't regret it, but there is talk of a culture shock after a more nurturing primary school. It's a higher pressure environment, and the competitiveness that you need to get in tends to stick around when you're there :)

Have you tried open days at the schools you're looking at? It might be a way to come to a joint decision with your DD.

The commute is more of a personal choice... They're at an age where they need sleep, and if the commute is going to compromise sleep or social time outside of school, then it's a tricky call to make (for the next seven years!).

That's exactly our concern as well. Not every child adapts easily and thrives in a new, demanding environment.
We've also heard about the recent teachers' strike at HABS following a dispute with the management, so we're naturally concerned that disruptions like this could have an impact on our child too.

@RoMe1prom90 we ended up ruling out Habs as the commute was too long. It was impressive. We have been to some open days so far already.

if your DD gets into one of these schools (and that’s a big “if” if you are only preparing lightly - they are super competitive and there will be parents who have been tutoring, doing Atom, bond books, etc, since reception!), she should take the spot and then see how it goes. Generally, it is easy to switch from one of those leading schools to one that isn’t so academic, but very hard to go the other way. On the commute, I will say a commute that seems impossible when you look at your 9 or 10 year old is actually fine once they are high school age. We had serious reservations about DS choosing a school that requires him to take a train to the town nearest the school and then get the school coach, but he rose to the challenge and I think he is genuinely “building resilience” as they say when it goes wrong and he has to not panic and cope with whatever the alternative solution is.