Starting secondary not knowing anyone

[Sennensurfer]

My ds will be going to secondary school next year.

Our two main choices are, the feeder for his primary school, which is over a mile away, but where probably half of the class will be going, or, the secondary school which we live next door to, however he wouldn't know anyone.

Both schools are fairly similar in terms of size, results, ofsted.

The problem is that with his primary school, although he does have friends and does always have someone to play with, he doesn't seem to have any best friends, he doesn't really get invited to play outside of school, many of the class live locally and will probably end up all walking to school together whereas ds would be a bus ride away.

If he went to the secondary school next door, he wouldn't know anyone, but he could literally roll out of bed into school, and would hopefully make some friends from the local area.

I think it’s a no brainer. Go next door! Not because he can roll out of bed, but because it gives a better chance of friends nearby. Children that move house have to get to know other children and I think he would be fine and the pool will be pretty big.

Often friendship groups change at y7 anyway as children find like minded friends. Mine both went to secondary not knowing anyone but they now have life long friends. Be brave and go next door!

My daughter started high school not knowing anyone, there were 5 children in her year 6 class and they all went to different schools. The High School teacher spent a few hours at her prep school before she went to High, they did with all 133 new starters in their primary schools. Also arranged a couple of settling in days where she made friends, she is now year 10 and from day 1 has the same friends. Does the school next door have a similar set up?

In your scenario I'd definitely choose the school next door. DD1 started Y7 not knowing anyone whereas most of her primary school classmates went to a couple of schools en masse. Because she can walk to her school she has more time after school to do her own thing than she would if she had travelled further afield and because she didn't know anyone, she's had the opportunity to make new friends and hasn't felt as though she should stick to the children she already knew.

She's just gone into Y9, has a lovely group of friends and is glad she didn't transfer with everyone else. Meanwhile, very few of those who transferred together hang out together (according to DD!).

The friends thing is a non-consideration really (both my DC went to a secondary school where around 100 DC from their junior school also went, and neither of them were put in classes with any of their junior school friends so ended up making an entirely different set of friends.

Next door is a huge bonus. If there are no other crucial differences between the schools I'd go close every time (though tbh a mile away is pretty close as well!).

Round here some of the secondary schools have an extra induction day in the summer term for children coming in small groups (up to 3) from their primary. If you're going to the open evening you could ask if this is done.