Selling/renting/buying and school places

[Nosnogginginthekitchen]

Not sure this is the right section but have been worrying away at it in my head and could use some advice. Happy for HQ to move it to more appropriate forum if necessary.

Currently live in one county, I want to move one county over (about an hour away) for job reasons and so I'm halfway between my parents and my children's dad. I have a yr4 child with additional needs and we're in the process of getting an EHCP. I don't want to move him out of his primary school. But I do want to make sure I can get him a place at the right secondary school in the new area. How the hell do I organise the move so I keep him in his current school until the end but still have the right address to get the new school? His dad is sort of an option I suppose, but I'm not sure how I'd feel about him being resident with his dad for 6 months... not 100% it would be good for either of them....

Any other ideas logistically?
Currently own a house. Am intending to sell and live in a small rented for a bit to make it easier to get school place and find the right house to buy.

Items in our favour - DS is v bright but will have an EHCP. Due to current circumstances and the UC roll out period he'll be registered free school meals/pupil premium.

Being eligible for FSM will have no bearing on school applications. EHCP will- presumably you can have most appropriate school written in at review? I don't think it matters that's it's in a different authority.

My mistake. I thought FSM had some effect

Dont move until the EHCP is finalised, or at least in draft. Advices can be difficult to get if you need to get a different authority to take over.
How will you get him to school each day if it is an hour each way?
Once he has an EHCP and you move, you can request a secondary school in your new area in line with local SEN team guidance.

That's kind of what I'm asking. I won't be able to take him to and from a school an hour away, so how do I manage the move so there's the least possible disruption to him? It's so complicated. Perhaps with an EHCP we'll be able to get a place at the right secondary even if we haven't yet moved.

And yes. It's one of the reasons we're pushing for the EHCP now so we have it in place before we start the secondary school application process as his SENDCO says he absolutely won't thrive in the secondary that we're in catchment for.

If you choose a school that is not within the Local Authority you live in, unless you can prove it is more appropriate than any LA options, they will not provide transport, so you would be liable to transport him.
You don't have to choose your catchment school if you feel another school would be more appropriate for him, which may mean you have more options where you are.
If you move in the summer between y6 and y7, there is a risk no places would be available in your chosen school, although with the EHCP in place, that becomes less of an issue.
If I were you, I would get the plan finalised then move, which would give him 2 years to build up a peer group and have opportunities for a really good transition to the secondary school, though I appreciate this is not really your ideal.

Takethewinefromtheswine - would if I could but currently unemployed and halfway through a divorce so finances not really on my side. Hoping things will improve next year