When is the best time to move with settled school-age children?

[SunshiningHipHip]

Inspired by another thread...

I live in an expensive city and I hate it. The house is just about big enough but it's noisy and we have no garden. I feel trapped by schools as my two boys (year 8 and year 3) are very settled.

When is best to move? I only really need to go 5-10 miles out from my current house to improve my housing situation but 15 would be ideal.

Option 1: never leave the the city, prioritise children and their friends
Option 2: go now and settle them into new schools
Option 3: go now but transport them to school each day
Option 4: move in the future (pre alevels?? Pre uni???)

I just can't imagine uprooting them, but I'm really unhappy, so it's a tricky balance.

Move now before yr8 picks options for gcse. Yr8 is a bit of a non entity year anyway

I’d say if you’re going to move, move now. Before GCSE subjects start.

If the house move would also
mean a school move, go asap so that Y8 is in a new school before GCSE options are taken (usually around Feb half term of Y9).

Don’t move a child once GCSE courses have started. So it’s now, or 2 years from now.

I agree with the above. But find out whether schools that have spaces where you move to, start GCSE in year 9. If so, you’d need to start this September.

If you wait until the youngest is post A level, that’s an awfully long time to be miserable where you are. Look for somewhere less expensive, with a decent public transport system, so the boys can travel independently when they need to.

Option two. I would get on with it now

I waited until my youngest was 18 and am finally moving in August. It’s been a long wait but they were in an outstanding school and settled. It’s been hard for me waiting but I don’t regret it. Means i’ll be paying a mortgage into retirement though. Either do it now, or wait. I am relocating 250 miles so quite a way.

I would move the Y3 tomorrow but a settled Y8 with decent friends I would definitely think twice about. Or at least about moving their schools. If you can still get the Y8 in and out of school until the end of GCSEs then move when you like. Sixth form is a time when a lot of pupils scatter so would be more natural.
But equally I would only move to somewhere where they have access to public transport and can get about easily independently. Teens who are dependent on lifts everywhere can become very isolated and miss out on the spontaneous meet ups.