Mid school year house move

[housingplanningquestion]

We've just had an offer accepted on a house in Walthamstow. We've got 3 kids who will be in Years 5, 3 and Reception in September. Any thoughts on the best month / time of year to move?

Everything else being equal I'd probably aim for early spring, as the new house is much bigger and might be cold over winter. But my main concern is my youngest - she is very close with her friends and staff in nursery, who will be going into reception with her; and is very sad about the thought of leaving them. Would it be better for her to move in autumn / before Christmas, to have a better chance of her making friends? I'm thinking if it's closer to the start of reception year then it may be more like she started with everyone else in terms of social groups falling into place. She is old for her year and a likeable child, so maybe I'm worrying unnecessarily and she will make good friends fine. I'm also aware that a house move usually takes six months, so it might all be academic. We are chain free - unsure if the vendors are. But the estate agents have asked when we'd like to aim to move.

Any chance you can move for September start ? If you are chain free and by chance so are they ?

You have two factors here.

1. house purchases can happen quickly or slowly. You can't keep people hanging for months just because you don't want to move for 9 months though, it's not fair on everyone. Plus mortgage deals expire.

2. in year admissions. You may not get school places straight away,vir they may be in different schools. Especially with three children and one in a year limited by class size regulations.

I'd aim to start the new school Immediately after any school holiday - half term or Christmas if possible. That would give you time to move and a clean break from one school to the next for the kids.

Seriously, do it as soon as possible. Friendship wise children generally adapt quickly. But I would not discuss leaving/leaving friends etc further with your children until it is actually happening - why give them this shit to think about for months.

Educationally, try and make sure you have moved before your eldest finishes Year 5. Starting a new school in Y6 less ideal.

As PP said - do not assume you will get a place in your preferred schools. Or indeed all in the same school. School cannot magically make an extra space just because someone moves into the area.

If you’re both chain free I would be pushing to move asap - could you aim for end of September and commute the kids to the new schools from the beginning of term?

I don't think you can dictate wanting to take three quarters of a year and house move times have recently dropped to an average of 115 days.

If you’ve just had an offer accepted, I don’t really think you have much control over how long the move takes to be honest because if you try drag your feet or delay things to suit school moves then you risk disrupting your chain and annoying other vendors who may pull out.

We were lucky. My son is also starting school in September and we were moving out of area. Luckily for us, we sold in March and had moved by June thanks to a short chain and everyone being motivated to move. It wasn’t easy though with late applications and appeals to get him into the school we wanted.

You may be more successful trying to push for the move as soon as possible and then try have the children start as early as possible in September - even if that means commuting (if possible). I’d start making connections with the school asap though. I managed to link with the office of our son’s new school and they were so, so helpful when it came to appeals and pushing through applications as they knew people in admissions office!

Thanks everyone. By no means 'dictating' anything or dragging our feet, simply wondering what we wanted to aim for, if it was up to us. The vendors are divorcing and I'm not sure of their onward plans, I'll try and find that out on Monday. I guess that will dictate things quite a bit. But I didn't know that house moves were going through so quickly, that is really helpful new information, so thank you for that @KievLoverTwo Is that from having an offer verbally accepted, to completion date?

Also very aware that schools are going to be complicated. The eldest has had an EHCP submitted (has diagnoses of ADHD and ASD), which in some ways may make it easier, but hasn't been fully agreed yet. And the youngest is currently out of her year group, our current local authority have agreed that she will stay in the year below cohort due to being summer born. May be a bit of a process to ensure that translates across. We may commute between both sites / different primaries in the area for a bit. But I wasn't aware that there would be such a strong preference (or possibility really) for trying to get them into the new school asap. Is that the advice because it will be better for them settling in? Particularly the reception child? I will start liaising with the schools asap then. Is there a time period within which school admissions lists tend to move about in the autumn? (Probably the wrong board for that question...)

You don't say how far you are moving... but if its commutable getting them on waiting lists from your current address means that if a space does come available it could go to you rather than someone who lives further away.

Fir your reception child there are often kids who never turn up as the parents move or go private but never formally reject the space.

https://thenegotiator.co.uk/surge-in-property-supply-sees-time-to-exchange-fall-to-115-days/

We're moving between boroughs, From Bethnal Green / Tower Hamlets, so won't be able to get onto waiting lists until we have a connection to the new borough. Although the EHCP may make they easier - not assigned yet though. Commute is about 45 mins.