Anyone changed LOs school due to moving house?

[Rhio92]

How do you do it? We're moving to a new town but still in Nottinghamshire. My son is in reception year of a fantastic school, and I'm gutted to have to move.
How do your LO's cope?

 

[jd83]

Yes, ye just moved in February and DS1 had to move schools. I was worried how he would do, with making friends, with switching to a new teacher with a different teaching style than he's had all year, etc. He actually did amazing with the move! He loves the new school, absolutely loves his new teacher, and has made new friends already. There were differences with what each school was focusing on, especially sight words. The two schools were using different lists, so we had some catch up to do on a few words that hadn't been on his lists at the old school. The old school basically just had them study flash cards with the words, and the new school has a whole rotation of words, sentences to practice fluency with the new words, combination of both, etc. that he has done well with, although it was an adjustment getting used to that difference in structure.

If the move will be during school time of year, I would suggest asking his teacher for his most up to date testing scores (reading, comprehension, letter recognition, sound recognition, shapes, etc) and any information she has on his progress to be able to give the new teacher so he/she can see where your child is placementwise right away. If there is an IEP, make sure you get a copy of it for the new school and follow up that it gets transitioned. My son has a speech IEP, and it took a month after the move to get it fully transitioned to his new school.

 

[vaniilla]

Speak to the school your lo will be moving to, they will have some sort of system in place to help children transition into the new school and hopefully what they say will help you feel better. We might be going through a similar thing next year depending on where we buy and I'm trying not to stress over the settling in period. I think it's reasonable to expect it to disrupt their learning for a few weeks whilst they get used to a new routine and surroundings but generally kids are very adaptable.

 

[xxsteffyxx]

I feel your pain. Here is my last 12 months...

September 2014 - started new preschool.

May 2015 - made homeless, moved to Hertfordshire, started a new preschool.

October 2015 - moved somewhere new (awaiting housing, trying to find a home) moved to Letchworth. Started new preschool.

January 2016 - finally moved into permanent housing and Harvey started his new preschool/nursery in February 2016.

So you see, Harvey has moved into many schools over the last 12 months. Poor love became very unsettled. However, the staff at all of the above were so wonderful. They have to settle in many children who have come from worse backgrounds, and had more dramatic experiences then what my lad has had. Anyway, children are so resilient and get on so very well! Talk to the teachers, ask them to keep an eye on your little one, have regular talks, get regular updates and your little one will do well. I always say communication is key to these sorts of things.

Good luck! I hope all goes well xx

 

[mummy2boysx]

We're considering this at the moment xx

 

[JesLynne]

My husband had to transfer job locations a few years ago. At the time our son was at the end of 1st grade. We were able to push the move to the end of the school year so he started 2nd grade in the new school. I e-mailed his new teacher as soon as we got her name and she offered to come in and give him a tour of the school and make him feel comfortable. I was so thankful to her! We got him involved in clubs and activities over the summer to help him find new friends in the new area ASAP as well. He was nervous when he first started and let me tell you we had lots of tears over the summer missing his friends, but, he's stayed in touch with his best buds through FaceTime, Minecraft and e-mail. Now he loves his school so much and has so many friends. The move turned out to be very good for him!

 

[RaspberryK]

I'm going to be moving ds as we just sold our house. Going to rent locally for a while to keep him in the same preschool til summer and stay at the village school moving up with his friends to start with. Then I'm looking to buy maybe shared ownership and it could be anywhere in the county so I'd look at moving him when that happens but I might wait til t the end of the school year to move him. We shall have to see.
I moved schools at 4/5 and remember I had a great time.
X

 

[AngelUK]

We are faced with this too! We bought a house not too far away but in a different borough and we are only moving in in October (work needs doing). I called the new school board and they told me we can only apply once we have physically moved. IN the meantime my boys have been accepted in a school in our old area and once we move I will have to either drive them to the school in the old area, which would be ok, if that did not involve a London bridge in rush hour wacko or immediately apply for the new area and change them a month or two into reception. Not sure what I will do...

 

[Pearls18]

We have bought a house but won't complete till January, my son is reception year and the area we are moving to struggles to accommodate the number of children so I'm really nervous about not getting him into a decent school close by, all the more frustrating when we are moving opposite a school!

I'm not too worried about him settling in, military families move all the time at awkward times and the children cope, the reason we have bought though is so we only have to move them this once and get them settled down, I do feel bad as he is so settled where he is now but at least we know it'll be the last time.

AngelUK I believe if you can show a solicitors letter to say where you are moving to that the school can take this as evidence but that they will only hold the space for 6 weeks, this is what we've been advised. We were nearly faced with this situation last year, we decided we wouldn't start our eldest in school until he had a place in the new area instead of making him start one school to change soon after, remember they're not obligated to start school till the term after they turn 5.

 

[MumToEva]

We moved to a new area over Christmas, so as well as a new house, DD also had to adjust to a new school (reception year) and a new nursery. It went far better than I would have imagined! I worried about it in advance, but they were both absolutely fine!

 

[Rhio92]

Thanks for all your responses!

A little update: we moved at the end of April. Connor's last day at his old school was heartbreaking.

He had 2 weeks off until we got a school. I had to pester the council every day though, they didn't seem to think a 5 year old being out of school a bad thing

Connor started his new school, and it has gone great! He's settled in really well, he's made a friend already and he enjoys the new things that this school do with him. He had no problems at all