moving house, what to do re school?

[pa2k84]

Hi just after a but of advice. We are due to be moving house in the next couple of weeks and was wondering what to do with my eldest. It seems a bit mean to me to Serbs him to school from one house then pick him up and take him to new one. Would you keep off school abs let him move with you? In 2 minds as obviously would be easier to load everything up with him gone but at the same time he has lived here his whole life and knows all the neighbours so well I know he would like to say goodbye. Also since we sold our house and put in offer at New one he has been aware of everything which is going on, keeping him informed of everything abs he is very set on taking the cats to the cattery in the morning then traveling in the big van with daddy to the new house etc. That if he is in school here will be missing all this.

I am writing on phone and hard to read back so excuse spelling mistakes will reread on comp when I can get on!

 

[Pearls18]

I wouldn't let him miss school to move house, firstly it'll probably be easier for you to manage without him there, secondly I don't think it's a good reason to miss school (surely they wouldn't even allow it?) we've had to move house a few times since DS1 was born, he's been at nursery when we've moved, he's even stayed at grandmas for a few days then we took him back to the new house, kids are very adaptable. Moving house is not a big deal to me though lol, but I think schooling is more important, even if it's only a day. But maybe discuss it with his teacher if you personally would prefer him to be there?

 

[pa2k84]

He is 4 so technically does not even have to be in school full time until he is 5. Still feel mean the more I think of it, I know he is not an adult but still feel like it will throw him and make him feel very pushed out mummy, daddy, grandma and granddad (who are helping us move) and his brother all going together and him being at school away from it all - so unsure wish the move had just happened over the summer holidays as it was meant to

 

[Pearls18]

Oh well that's different then. I've moved house 5 times in about 3 years due to hubby's job so moving house isn't really an emotional thing for us lol so I'm probably not the best to reply, but if you think your son would be sad about it I would just do what you think he would prefer, maybe ask him? But tbh I find the day itself stressful so I keep DS out the way, for his own benefit as much as our own. It really wouldnt bother my son at all he wouldn't even think about it as being something without him as he would be going to nursery as normal, but only you know your son.

 

[RachA]

I wouldn't want my two around while i was trying to move. Regardless of the fact that he doesn't have to be in school until he is 5 i still don't think it's a good reason for missing school.
I would imagine that he'll know that you are moving and that he has been to the house you are moving to so all i would do is take him to school that morning and say that after school you will be going back to the new house so say bye bye to the old one. Children are very adaptable and providing you don't make a big deal over it then they won't. I agree with Marinewag that moving isn't a big deal and i've only ever moved twice - once when i got married and once when we moved from our flat to the house we live in now.
I also have a daughter who does not like change and providing i didn't make a big fuss about it then she would just accept moving house.

 

[tallybee]

I agree that I would put him in school if practical. Our recent move was during summer hols though lol.

 

[hattiehippo]

I would def put him in school that day particularly if you think he's likely to get emotional about it all. That way his day is as normal as possible. It will be really difficult for you to deal with him on top of moving etc and I don't think seeing everything being moved out of the house will actually help - if anything that might upset him more than going to school and then coming back to the new house with his new bedroom etc.

 

[sophxx]

Weather he has to be in school or not you enrolled him at school so he has to attend or you can be fined. I would send him to school.

 

[Foogirl]

we were always in school on house move days. It's so much easier not to have little ones around. Abby wasn't in school when we moved, but we packed her off to granny's for a few days til we got sorted.

We made a big thing of saying good bye to the old house in the morning and had her room all sorted when she came back she coped with it fine. It's not such a big deal really. But then we did speak to her a lot about moving and made sure she helped us pack, and had her own boxes to unpack when she came to the new house.

 

[wishuwerehere]

When I was a kid my parents moved house whilst me and my sister were at school so we left one house and came back to another (we were 8 and 6) it was fun and exciting and much less boring than having to stay out the way whilst moving!

 

[Foogirl]

Weather he has to be in school or not you enrolled him at school so he has to attend or you can be fined. I would send him to school.

Are you sure? Abby was at ante-preschool aged three and at pre-school aged four. There were times she missed it, sometimes for hospital appointments and others because of holidays. Not once were we told we we risked a fine if we took her out. I understood as there is no legal requirement to have them at school, attendance wasn't mandatory. I can see how if there is a shortage of places they can get a bit shirty if you get a place but rarely turn up, (and rightly so) but I didn't think they could fine you.

 

[sophxx]

Weather he has to be in school or not you enrolled him at school so he has to attend or you can be fined. I would send him to school.

Are you sure? Abby was at ante-preschool aged three and at pre-school aged four. There were times she missed it, sometimes for hospital appointments and others because of holidays. Not once were we told we we risked a fine if we took her out. I understood as there is no legal requirement to have them at school, attendance wasn't mandatory. I can see how if there is a shortage of places they can get a bit shirty if you get a place but rarely turn up, (and rightly so) but I didn't think they could fine you.

In the England or our la if you enrol your child in school even if it's less then compulsory school age you have the same rules as everyone else and will be investigated/ fined if they find you have to many unauthorised absence and in some schools if a child us of sick. Hospital appointments are different they are authorised. This mostly applies when they start reception age 4 not pre school.
I only know as we home ed but I was talking to some in our local education authority and they were telling me.

 

[sophxx]

Is it not different in Scotland do they not start what we class as reception at 5 ?

 

[pa2k84]

I think you can have time off if your child is under the age of 5. My old boss kept her son off school every Friday for the first half term of him starting, no quibble from the school as technically he did not have to be there. We are going to be sending Lucas in as asked him and he wants to go, will see how he is on the morning of going!

 

[sophxx]

Here you gave to have the permission of the head it's called flexi schooling it's all changed very recently and some if my friends do thus as they send there children to Steiner classes in a Friday but if they didn't gave written permission they would be marked as unauthorised absence maybe each la is different but here that's how it works. A lot if heads are quite open to flexi schooling in the lower years of school.

 

[Foogirl]

Is it not different in Scotland do they not start what we class as reception at 5 ?

Here we do ante preschool at three, pre school at 4 and primary one at 5. I thought reception was similar to pre-school.

 

[sophxx]

Reception is start of school here. You can choose not to put your child in till after there 5 th birthday but if they attend they are expected to attend the same as other children in the school. All the rules are the same uniform,lunches,sickness,holidays ect.

 

[Foogirl]

Reception is start of school here. You can choose not to put your child in till after there 5 th birthday but if they attend they are expected to attend the same as other children in the school. All the rules are the same uniform,lunches,sickness,holidays ect.

Ahh, I see, that makes more sense. Some schools here do follow up absences. But not with fines etc. What I'm wondering though is, if the legal requirement is for them to be in school from 5, can they actually fine you? Or just put pressure on you not to do it.

 

[sophxx]

I'm not actually sure but my fiends had to sign the schools code book which ment they agreed to this. I think they put that much pressure on people that they pay before it gets to court one case in our local paper the school would not agree to a boy having the day off for his grandad funeral his mum didn't send him so they got fined she went to court and the fine doubled plus court charges.

It's different if a head has agreed for you to flexi school your child but they have to take they same day every week of and most schools local to me are only happy with this agreement upto age 7.

 

[Vickie]

I'd go against the norm and take him out but I took Hannah out of school for various things in JK and SK without any issue here (Canada). We moved house over the summer so we didn't have much choice. I just enlisted MIL to wrangle the kids for me and I helped direct the move.