Moving for secondary school - is it doable?!

[MoiraRoseIsMyQueen]

Wondering if it’s feasible to move for a school, and how the bloody hell you time it for applications and admissions and without too much disruption for the kids?!

DH and I both WFH, currently living in County Durham. We’re thinking ahead and wondering about a move to Yorkshire, possibly Skipton for the schools - DS is currently Y4 and DD is at nursery. Has anyone got any experience of moving and fitting it in with application etc timescales - ideally we would be looking to move in time for DS to start Y7 at a new school. Any advice gratefully received!

I think it probably depends how full the schools you want are. If they’re not full, you could move in the summer between y6/7 and get a space and it would work out fine. Otherwise, you’re applying from out of area (sorry I don’t know how far apart your 2 places are) so are unlikely to get a school assigned in the new area from your old house. To have your new address count for the application you need to have moved before applying I think (how long before depends on area I think, but usually it would be sometime in late y5/early y6). This obviously then means you have to move your child’s primary school too, which is an extra disruption you potentially want to avoid. It’s not a great system for people who are moving is it!

We did exactly what you did. Moved from County Durham to North Yorkshire. Kids were in Year 2 and oldest Year 4. It worked well in that my eldest had a few years at new primary before moving up to seniors. Really happy with the school and glad we made the move but to be honest relocating was harder than I thought and I’m quite resilient. Part of that was cos we moved just after covid and struggled to find a house so ended up with one that needed more renovation then we’d have liked

Just to add because we moved quite rurally thr schools are all undersubscribed so that made it easier

Ideally you want to move before the closing date for secondary applications otherwise you’re looking at an in year application and will be place where ever there are spaces which usually means the least popular schools.

Skipton is selective grammar
they need to sit the test and if they pass (not the most competitive grammar) then rush to move

Yep, this is why we’re keen - DS is pretty smart, and I think he would get in no probs. But that’s exactly my worry, that we couldn’t juggle applications/entrance exam/selling/buying/moving! Considering whether we should think about moving into rental accommodation while we sell and then it gives us a bit more time to buy - but the upheaval seems so massive.

It’s such a massive decision isn’t it! We have a lovely - and relatively very cheap house! - but the area isn’t great and DH and I would both love to be somewhere that feels a bit more of a community, with a bit more about it. We can’t imagine being here for 10+ more years while the kids finish school! But I’m also really scared - what if we regret it, what if DS hates his new school, etc etc. So tough to know what to do for the best when you don’t have to move.

Have you looked at any past 11+ papers? Many kids get tutored for it although probably not to the extent of other grammar areas. What are the comprehensive schools like? It's a big gamble if you are moving whilst hoping DC get into grammar.

He’s only just started year 4, so this is all fairly theoretical still 😁 But I absolutely agree, and I’m wondering if it’s just too much of a gamble to move based on schools. I need to look more at what the local comp options are like I think.

Whereabouts in County Durham are you? The schools vary wildly. We are in the same area.
11+ is very different from SATS, as am example, especially if they do VR/NVR as well as English + maths.

Do you only want to move if your DS gets into the grammar, or would you want to move there anyway? Apologies if I've misunderstood. In our area, you only get the 11+ results a few weeks before the secondary school application deadline, so it would be hugely difficult to time a move to coincide with this. We made the decision to move to an area with grammars in the summer before year 4. It was a massive gamble because the local comprehensives have terrible results, but it paid off and they both settled really well in the local primary. I totally understand your dilemma!

Well, we know we don’t want to stay where we are for the next 10+ years for both kids to get through school, and as we’re lucky enough to WFH we can theoretically go where we like! We love Yorkshire, and looking at where there are good schools + a good place to live, Skipton looks like a good option. But obvs the selective application complicates an already complex situation 🥴

The most sensible thing to do would be to find somewhere you want to live and where the non-selective secondary option(s) would be acceptable in the event that your DS doesn't do as well as you think that he should in the entrance test for the grammar school - and move sooner rather than later.

Look at the actual admissions criteria for the grammar school. It may be just 'in score order until PAN is reached, or it may be that there is a difference between taking the exam from within a defined catchment area vs from miles away and attempting to swoop in between mid October and the CAF deadline.

Hmm, year 4 gives you plenty of time. We moved school in yr 5 and ended up at a faith school secondary having had no thought of any 'where next' other than local primary at time of move

We did this. Moved over the holidays between year 4 and 5. Worked brilliantly dd had 2 years to make friends and 58/60 in the year moved up to the excellent non selective secondary together.
Never regretted it for a second.

I did this. Put the house on the market at the start of Y5 and moved at Easter. I was glad we had a bit of leeway - a friend of mine was trying to move for a better school and her sale fell through so they were stuck with the old school.

I don't see it that way. I'd just move asap. In primary moving in year 4 or 5, is neither here nor there. I'd move as soon as I could to get them into any primary, that was decent, ready for year 6, SATs, visiting secondary choices schools .

In time for secondary applications, making sure you comply with any regulations that the actual secondary you want requires, ie if they stipulate that you have to have lived in the area for x months prior to xxx/applications. I'd just do it. Find out what any criteria or rules or stuff you need to comply with, then move asap to make sure you do comply.

I would put it on the market in Feb/March with a view to moving in the summer holidays. Then your DS has Year 5 & 6 in a new Primary, but well
located for Secondary catchment
(Also allows enough time for a sale to fall through in case you have to start again)
But you would have to be in the new address latest by October of Year 6 I believe? Just nicer for the child to have longer to settle

One of my friends moved to Kent for the grammar schools. Her son failed to get a place.

You need to.think about whether you're prepared to send your son to one of the non grammar schools if he doesn't get a place.

My planning started when dd began yr 5. We visited the new area and narrowed down the area we wanted, researched prices etc. talked to the new local authority about their school application process. We were very firm in that would be living in a certain postcode (just the first part obviously) by the time school started. Autumn term of yr 6 was stressful, travelling to all the school open days 70 miles away, and sitting the entrance exams for one academy. Only the new area schools went onto the form, under additional information I explained the situation and again was very firm that we would be living in catchment even if it meant renting initially. Our borough passed the choices onto the new borough.
House went onto the market 1 February and under offer by Easter.
We got the first choice school, moved in the June, dd and I stayed with family in our old area Mon-Fri until school was out in July.

Yeah we were thinking of Ripon for the grammar school but decided against it because of the 11 plus.we were pretty sure our eldest would get in but it was too early to know for our younger kids. Felt too much to move for a school and not get in. We ended up closer to York at a comp with great results and couldn’t be happier. York schools are also great and non selective but it’s expensive for housing.

Thanks everyone, this has been so helpful! Having had a bit more of a chat (I know it’s Christmas, but I have a tendency to hyperfocus on things such as this!) we are considering an earlier move, possibly early 2026 (when DS will be in last term of y5). Finances are what are holding us back at the moment, I think we’d need a year to get our affordability up (finishing paying off loans for home improvement etc). Plus it would be a really significant jump in house price - we are in a lovely 3-bed semi with gardens and loads of space which we bought 5 years ago for £155k. Which is just laughable when we look at prices for similar in Yorkshire! Lots to think about, but thanks again.

Kent grammars are highly selective
Skipton are lightly selective

Grammar tourism is rife. I have heard of children taking 20 plus and then moving to where they pass

It’s great that it worked out for your family, but my guess is the school was not oversubscribed anyway. The notes you wrote on the application wouldn’t have made a difference I don’t think. They have to apply the same oversubscription criteria to everyone based on where the child lives at the time of application (or earlier deadlines sometimes for some schools/LAs), and those living furthest away would be furthest down the list.

@SneakyScarves you are right. You can't write on a form 'I intend to move to x postcode' - it has to be done from current address. Would have to be under subscribed