He’s eleven. Its a very good school near home or the school where all of his friends will go. He’s known these friends since he was two.
He’s very pissed off at the thought of not going with his friends..
We moved house a couple of years ago so the school where his friends are going isn’t guaranteed. He’s very much pulling at my heart strings.
My other half is set on the new school.

Its one of the first problem I can’t fathom. I was moved schools at the same age, Best thing that ever happened to me, but I remember how much it upset me.

Any advice ?

Choose the good school near you. My daughter has gone to the school that is good, but not the one where her friends went. New friends good school and a very happy daughter.

Do the morally correct thing.
Send him local.
He’ll get over it unless he is particularly wimpy. And even then there will be other wimps.
At 11 he has no long term view of what is important or even just sensible. As a parent you are responsible for that not just a bit of happiness in the short term.
Ignore the schools rep, they change dramatically in a few years at the whim of the inspectors.

Ignore the schools rep, they change dramatically in a few years at the whim of the inspectors.

It also may be the inspection day reputation whereas the day to day reputation is different. (Personal, bitter experience with a church school).

Send him to the good, local school. Will be way better for him in the long run and having to deal with some of the down sides of life is no bad thing for children. Given how adaptable and resilient kids are he’ll hate it at first but be fine very quickly. I moved country (let alone school) at the ages of 5, 9 and 13. Whilst it was tough you adapt fast and it helps you to become flexible and able to land on your feet as an adult.

As a poster said above, ultimately it is your responsibility as a parent to make the decision that is right for the child in the long-term. Too many parents nowadays (IMHO) are too fixated on their children’s immediate happiness and less on preparing them to be happy and successful adults (not saying that’s you, just a general rant 🙂 )

Send him to the new school, buy him a briefcase 😀

New school near home + 1

My son just meets up at the weekend with his friends that don’t go to his new school

Send him to the new school, buy him a briefcase

😆

Are you within the catchment area of the old school? This will vary each year, but previous years will give you a good idea. Also is that school over subscribed?
If it is oversubscribed and you are not within the area, you are unlikely to get in. Putting it as your first choice could be a waste as it could mean you do not get the new school either, even if you put it as second choice, as it may fill up with first choices only.
This could mean you end up with neither of those schools.
It is worth looking at the stats to make sure you have a good chance of getting into school you put as your first choice, and without a sibling going there already, being a ‘looked after’ child or having a SEN, then your distance from the school is the main factor in getting a place.
Now that most schools are academies, they can set their own entry requirements, so check these out too as they may not be the same as local authority run schools in the same area.

Good luck.

Easy: send him away to public school.

One more thing, check the date at which the school consider you to be living at an address. This is likely to be the address that child benefit is paid to, on a date that could be about nine months before you apply. If this the case, the old school may be your best bet if you were at the old address then.

Oh and the public school thing is obvs a joke. Sort of. Plenty of kids (albeit usually 13 year olds) pack up and leave behind both home and former school friends.

And in archetypal STW fashion, never did me any harm….

Do what you and your wife agree is right and make sure you have a plan to support your boy through it. He’ll be fine.

Confirmed what my brain says, just gotta mtfu I suppose. I know he’ll be fine, just hard explaining this to him. Thanks all…