Changing schools mid year – my experience

Last Updated on April 1, 2024

This year my son changed schools mid year, which was a decision I went back and forth on, but once I decided to do it, it happened really fast.

If changing schools mid year is something you’re thinking of doing, or something that you know has to be done soon, then I hope that this post helps you to decide how to handle your own school move, or clears up any questions you have.

Why did I change my son’s school?

The main reason my son changed schools was because we moved, so instead of living 5 minutes away from his school, we lived 20 minutes away.

There was nothing wrong with the school he went to, and after some initial friendship conflicts, he settled into primary school well.

At first I didn’t think 20 minutes was long, but really living 20 minutes away from his school meant an 80 minute round trip each day, which was 6.5 hours a week driving him to and from school, and that’s without traffic.

I did the 6.5 hour a week drive for a year because I didn’t want to move my son away from everything he knew, but one day I knew that something had to give, and it was time to move him to a school closer to home to save petrol, and to save stress in the morning, which was from having to leave home so early to get to school on time.

Another reason for changing schools mid year was that my son didn’t have a close group of friends. He wasn’t getting invited to many parties, which in my mind meant he didn’t have many close friends he’d miss, which would affect how well he adjusted to a new school.

How to change schools mid year

My son goes to primary school in the UK, so I had to apply for a new school through my local council’s website.

Here’s what I did to change schools mid year:

Check school vacancies

The first thing I did was visit my local council’s website and look at the vacancies of the schools near where I live.

I listed the schools near me that had vacancies, and sorted them by distance from my house.

Research schools

I then researched the schools on my list, looking at things such as:

• Photo galleries, school values, and the curriculum of my son’s year level on the school’s website
• The school’s social media pages to see what activities they do
• The school’s Ofsted inspection report and their overall rating

Schools that didn’t look like a good fit for my son, or that I had doubts about based on my research, were taken off my list.

Organise a school tour

After my research there were only two schools that I liked that had vacancies, so I emailed their offices and asked if I could take a tour.

I was lucky to get a tour of one of the schools the day after I emailed them, and I toured the other school two days after I emailed them.

Applying to change schools mid year

After the school tours I was ready to apply for a new school, which I needed to do on my local council’s website.

My local council had space to apply for up to 6 schools, which you listed in order of preference.

After doing the school tours I had one clear favourite, so I only listed my favourite on my application.

This is where I have some advice, make sure you list more than one school on your application form, because vacancies can change overnight.

The only school I listed on my application had a vacancy on the Wednesday I emailed them, by the time I applied for it on Friday the vacancy was gone.

This meant that because I didn’t put another school on my application, the council offered me a space at a school I didn’t apply for, and that I didn’t want my son to go to.

This meant I had to reject the space they offered me, then email the council to apply for the other school I did a tour of, which added quite a bit of stress to the application process.

As there was still a vacancy at the other school I did a tour of, my son got a place there, but I should have added it onto my preferences to begin with.

Once I accepted the place at the other school, I communicated a start date directly with the school, and I organised for my son to do a school tour before he started so he could see his new school.

If you live in the UK and would like some information on how you can change schools mid year, UK School Admissions has a lot of helpful information.

How I talked about moving schools with my son

Before I started the application process, I told my son that he would be moving schools because we moved houses, and his school was now too far away.

He was upset when I told him, so I explained to him that moving schools is a new adventure, where he’ll make new friends, and learn new things.

I really emphasised the adventure part of changing schools, and told him he could ask me any questions he had.

Whatever feelings he communicated to me about moving schools, whether he was nervous, scared, or unsure, I reassured him that these were normal feelings, and tried to always bring it back to being an adventure.

How long it took to settle into a new school

It took a couple of months for my son to settle into his new school, and by settling I mean getting to a point where he spoke about his old school less and less.

In the lead up to moving schools, I would hear him crying at night and saying he didn’t want to move, which made me cry as well, and really doubt the decision I had made.

On his first day of his new school he was really brave and walked into the classroom with a smile, and was smiling when I picked him up. I asked him how his first day was, but I didn’t push for details because I didn’t want to make it a big deal.

Moving schools mid year and leaving everything they know is a big deal for children, and it will take some children longer than others to adjust, but they eventually will.

Things I could have done better

I don’t think telling my son that he was moving schools so early in the process was the right thing to do, because it gave him a lot of time to think about it, and get upset by it.

If I had the chance again, I’d tell him he was moving schools after I had accepted a place at a new school, so I could drive him to it and talk to him about all of the great things it had to offer.

Overall I’m glad I made the decision to change schools, it’s much closer to home, so it’s saving a lot of time and stress in the mornings. It’s also a much smaller school, and smaller class size, which I like.

I’m sure there are still times my son misses his old school, but overtime he’ll miss it less and less.

Related posts:
How to prepare your child for starting school
12 ways to get organised for back to school
10 things I’ve learnt since becoming a school mum

Have you changed your child’s school mid year?