Can you change from one state grammar to another?

[CristinaTheAstonishing]

Thinking ahead - if DS were to get in to a local state grammar school but we had to move area, could he then transfer/move somehow to another grammar school in a year's time. Many thanks.

A new colleague of my husband has been enquiring about this - the grammar he wants his son to transfer to says that they would certainly consider him if a place became available, but that very rarely happens...

I thought something of the sort, such occasions must be very rare, though, not something you can rely on. Would it be any easier to move between private schools, or from state to private?

Much easier to move to a private school, I would think.
Having passed an entrance exam/11 plus elsewhere does at least mean the new state grammar would put you on the waiting list.

We did it.
DS1 moved from a GS in Kent to one in Glos in the summer between year 8 and 9.
It had to be raised at a Governors meeting and approved by them, but other than that there were no problems - he didn't even seem to need a report from the first school to the second before they would agree.
Not sure how unusual it is to have spaces in Grammar schools, but he wasn't the only new boy joining the school in year 9.

Thank you for the replies. It's one of the main things that keeps us from moving at the moment.

In my dd's grammar school, 2 girls moved to different local grammar schools in year 7 and one moved to the school from a London grammar in year 9. It's perfectly possible - but there needs to be space and no waiting list.

How long do waiting lists run for? And why would there be spaces, apart from people moving? It seems like such a gamble.

Thanks, MH. It sounds v tough. It didn't occur to me there'd be a 11+ forum.

Superselective grammar like St Olave's in Orpington = unlikely.
Grammar schools in e.g. East Kent where they sometimes struggle to fill the whole Y7 intake, due to a local shortage of candidates, probably straightforward.
I think you might need to sound out some specific schools Cristina

Thanks, MinaT. We haven't moved to the new area yet and don't know the schools there at all, only just starting to read up on them. In fact, on the whole secondary education options. DS is in year 5 and we did the rounds of open days here and thought we'd settled on a couple of schools we wanted him to go to.

DS's Grammar has a separate entrance exam for yr9 (12 extra spaces available each year) but for other years it depends on availability.

Christina - there are very few grammar school places available in East Kent - most schools are now oversubscribed and have waiting lists in year 7 - maybe MinaT is talking about a few specific schools? I know quite a lot about the schools in the Canterbury/Faversham/Sittingbourne area and would be happy to dish the dirt if it would help!

Thanks, Milliways and Seeker. I didn't know some schools sat additional exams - at least another opportunity, I suppose.

Seeker - we'd be looking in Brighton or West Sussex but thanks for the offer. I feel so torn between giving Ds a chance to a good school here (and me commuting 1+ hour daily each way) or moving somewhere closer to the new job but DS then not going to a good school. As you can see, we are assuming in all of this that he's grammar school material...