With our house move will come new schools for the littlies. I am worried about the girls. Star has real problems with change and I think a new home and a new school is going to be a big strain for her and I have no idea how she is going to cope. With Boo, things are a little different. She’s sometimes a little slow in her understanding and I don’t believe that it’s actually sunk in yet that she will be moving home and school. She’ll talk about a new school and say it all looks great and she’s really looking forward to it, then five minutes later she’s talking about her class mates and what teacher they will have next term in her current school, so she hasn’t really understood that she won’t ever be going back.
The house will be a big change but it’s one we all need, we’ve been cramped up for far too long now and it’s time for the girls to have a little freedom and a room of their own. They will be able to play in their room and invite their friends around. Something we can’t do at present because we just don’t have the space.
We need to move but I so wish the girls didn’t have to move school. It won’t affect the Little Man so much as he is only just about to start nursery.
So, in preparation I’ve been checking out the schools in the area we are moving too. In terms of Ofsted reports they are all Good schools and not yet being made into academies, the reports are all very similar so nothing to differentiate them in there.
The closest school to our new home is a Catholic school. We are Christians but not Catholics. I know the school does take in a certain number of non-Catholics, but until I ask them I have no idea whether they will be able to accept my children. I like that the school has good values and is close to our home in easy walking distance even for the Little Man. However, the thing I like most is that it’s a small school with the same amount of pupils as the girls current school. Star has a lot of sensory issues and her main problem at school is the noise and business of the other pupils. I’d really like to keep her in a smaller school for a while longer. Hopefully she will be more mature enough to deal with that problem when she has to move to secondary school.
I also wonder how non Catholic children would fit into a Catholic School.
The other two schools are about the same distance from our new home in opposite directions. We are talking of about 30 minutes walking time. The girls are used to walking but the Little Man is only just at the ditching of the buggy phrase so it will be hard going on him (or me if I have to end up carrying him)
One of the schools is in a modern building and they have a grassed playground. So many school these days no longer have grass, including the girl’s present school. I know it’s not a vital element but I have many happy memories of my school days sitting on the grass on sunny days or doing handstands with my friends. My main worry with this school is that it has twice as many pupils as the girls present school and I fear it may be a little too much for Star and her difficulties. The saving grace may be that the school is split into infants and juniors, which means it may seem smaller, but I won’t know until I check it out.
The other school is a much older building but again it’s twice as big. The website shows a really nice school though and it’s in a lovely area. The main problem with this school is that it has no nursery, so The Little Man will have to go somewhere else which could be really awkward.
I won’t really know which school will be best until I’ve spoken to the head teachers and visited the schools. I am really worried about Star and her difficulties, she’s classed as special needs because of her autism but she does not have any learning difficulties. Past experiences with her older brother have shown me that schools can have difficulties in dealing with children like this. Boo, does have learning difficulties so I worry about her getting the help she needs too.
I’d love to hear some advice and views from other mums. I can’t draw on past experience myself because I never changed schools and neither did my older children. I have no idea of what it’s going to be like for my girls.
You won't get a feel for it until you visit the schools Anne, is it possible for the girls to visit too & involve them in the process? That could be beneficial on many levels. Treating it as a family problem for which you can find the solution together could be a good idea.
Go with your gut feel on the schools then make an extra effort with play dates to help the children feel part of the friendship groups there. It is hard at first but this is a great way for them to build friendships.
Hi Hun, You are now following me on Google+ and I have followed you back too, I know the feeling of new schools, infact I am going for a school appeal with our local council tomorrow, our DD is 5 and just about finsihed the year for Reception and going into Y1 in Sept coming however I don't think she is getting the right education etc, so I'm off there tomorrow to plead my case!
Good luck with your appeal, I've heard it's even harder to move schools if you are not moving home. Also, I'm having trouble finding a school for my 5 year old as I believe that there was a baby boom here when she was born.
That's a really tough one, but I also think that you need to go with your gut, when we moved over to the States, we had to make some very quick decisions, so completely went with what our instincts were telling us, and it's been great, both schools are fantastic. Good luck!!
We've just moved and Grace, who is 6, has had to move schools too. I went and visited both of the schools in our area and really liked them but one is walking distance so was keen to get it – and we did. The hardest thing is not knowing if you have a place until AFTER you have exchanged contracts – it left me worrying for a few days. I found out when we were on holiday that we got the choice we wanted. It's taking Grace some time to settle but thankfully she has started just before the summer holidays so she knows what to expect in September. Good luck with your choice and thank you for linking to PoCoLo xx