Moving house/when to time it for secondary school?

[pontypridd]

DS is in Yr3 now. He has hemiplegia/cerebral Palsy and is statemented.

He's very settled in his primary school, has a good group of friends and is learning well.

We want to move at some stage, though. To be closer to DH's work. To get out of this roughish part of London, to be closer to fresh air, space and some trees and also to live in something bigger than a box (which is affordable).

I've got an idea of where to go to, but really don't want to take DS out of his primary school until the latest possible opportunity. None of the primary schools there look anything as special as the one he's at now.

Is it possible with a statement to keep the child in his primary school right up until the end of Year 6 and then still transfer them to a secondary school in another part of the country? In this case it will still be London, but just further out.

Thank you.

If you are planning to cover the costs of transport from new home to school it might well just slip by without much notice. BUT the LA may seek to place him in a school in the new LA because it registers in their budget as costing less.

For 'old law' cases there is the bit of law which says parental preference for a mainstream school carries weight unless it is incompatible with the efficient education of the other kids OR cannot meet his needs. So they are not allowed to object that your child cannot go to your chosen mainstream because it costs too much ("inefficient use of resources")

If the LA was desperate to get rid of the cost they could try arguing that the journey was too long, but there are guidelines about the length of journey. If you stay within those it should get rid of that possible objection.

I cannot recall off the top of my head whether it is the same under the new law.

Also try sussing the secondary school options and moving to an LA that will pay for something good.