moving from ireland, start in yr 6 or wait unti yr 7

[Acorncat1]

Hi Guys
I'm hoping I can get some advice here. We currently are living in Ireland and may have to reclocate to Leeds in the near future. My son is in the irish equivalent to Year 6 right now so would be starting Year 7 in Sept 2020.
I'm wondering if it would be better to move now as soon as we can so he can make friends with people in year 6 who he would potentially move up with. Other option is to wait until next Sept and move nearer so he starts then. I'm a bit worried if we move now that he'll have to start a new school now and then again in Sept.
Also wondering how much transition stuff do they do in Year 6 - what would we miss out on if we waited to send him straight into Yr 7.
I hope this makes sense and isn't too confusing!
Thanks in advance!

Whether you get a place at your chosen school or not outside of the normal application window will depend also on where you move to. In my area proximity is the biggest criterion so if you move really close to your preferred school you'll join the waiting list ahead of families who live further away.

Horsforth school would be a good bet. Otherwise, nearby in Cookridge, Abbey Grange is very good if you meet the religious criteria.

SATS are anything but helpful for a lot of children - those that are already above the pass grade at the start of Y6 and spend 2 terms bored to tears, and those that are well below and spend 2 terms having their failure to get to grips with the content rubbed in. And no child benefits when schools narrow the curriculum to SPAG, maths and more maths.