Last Updated on April 28, 2023 by alli
Note: This post is a guide on how to move a primary school child from one public (state) school to another. It does not cover private schools, although a lot of the advice given will still apply.
If you’re considering or are in the process of moving your child to a new school, then this post is for you!
I know how you’re feeling and understand your concerns because I’ve recently been through the whole process myself. I know you want to do it right and you’re daunted by the task ahead of you.
Moving schools feels like a big deal when you have to do it. As a parent, you worry that you’re making the right decisions for your child.
Reasons for Moving Schools
Firstly, know you are not alone. A child moving schools is more common than you may think.
There are many reasons that a child may move. In the last few years, one of the biggest reasons was due to Covid-19, and an increase in families wanting to make a new beginning somewhere else.
In Australia, where I live, there has been a huge increase in families leaving the main cities and moving to regional towns. It has also seen the state of Queensland become one of the most popular migration destinations in the country.
This all equates to many families having to move their young children from one school to another.
Some other reasons for moves are-
- Relocating for a new job or job transfer
- To be closer to family and friends
- For financial reasons (you can no longer afford the school fees)
- The current school isn’t fulfilling your child’s needs due to a lack of support with learning
- Your child is being bullied at the current school
- Your child just isn’t happy at the current school
The reason for our move was because my partner was offered a job transfer to Queensland.
So, on the 1st June 2021, we moved from Sydney, where my daughter was settled and happy and we arrived in Queensland to start a new life.
Let me reassure you!
As I write this post today, we have been living in our new home state for 2 months and I’m happy to report my daughter’s transition into the new school has gone seamlessly and without any major hurdles.
She has quickly made new friends, has already been invited to a birthday party and comes home from school happy each day.
So, I’m here to reassure you that a school move can go smoothly!
For every single parent that’s currently looking at moving their child to a new school, I know how important this topic is to you. That’s why I’ve written this guide to help you through the process.
Here is my step-by-step guide on how to move schools easily
1. Decide what day will be the last at the old school
There’s no right time to move schools, it very much depends on your circumstances. But generally, moving at the end of a full school year is seen as the best time by many.
If you need to move sometime during a school year (like we did), you may want to plan the move at the end of a school term, or close to it.
2. Let the old school know in advance
As soon as you know the date of your move, let the school know. Talk to the school principal, teachers and also the parents of your child’s closest friends. Let them all know in advance of your move and advise them of your child’s last day at school.
This will allow the school to offer support to your child and talk to her about the move in a positive way. She’ll hear words like – adventure, exciting, new opportunities and she’ll feel positive about it. It will reassure her.
TIP: Before the last day of school, you may also want to:
- Ask your daughter’s current teacher if you can pass his or her email details on to the new teacher, so they can discuss your daughter’s progress.
- Collect samples of your daughter’s work or her current exercise books to show the new teacher.
3. Prepare your child
Openly talk to your child about the move well in advance. As soon as we knew our move was going ahead, we starting talking to our daughter about it. The most important part of this communication is to be enthusiastic and keep it positive at all times.
You can mention what opportunites lie ahead, like-
- Making lots of new friends
- New choices for extra-curricular activities, or pursuits of interests.
- Getting a new bedroom to decorate
- Exploring the new environment
If there are things your child doesn’t like about her current school, you can also remind her that she’ll be leaving all the bad stuff behind and can start again!
It’s very important to keep it positive because it builds excitement.
4. Listen to your child’s concerns
Even though your child may be looking forward to the new adventure, she will still be nervous and have concerns. It’s important to listen to what she has to say and reassure her. My daughter’s biggest worry was leaving her friends behind. So, we reassured her that she would be able to call, write or FaceTime them (which she has been doing). We also promised her that she would make new friends very quickly.
5. Lead by example
Let your child see your positive feelings about the move. If she sees you stressing or hears you talking about any concerns relating to the school move, this may worry her.
6. Allow your child some involvment in choosing the new school
Depending on what your reasons are for moving schools, what you are looking for in a new school will differ from one person to the next.
You may need to consider some of the following –
- How far is the school from home?
- What are the school fees?
- Is it a public or private school?
- Does the school offer support for children with learning challenges?
- Does it offer a programme to support children that are academically ahead?
- What type of extra-curricular activities does the school offer, such as Sport, Music, and Performing arts?
- How large is the school?
- What are the class sizes like?
- What are the school reviews like online?
- Does it have a good reputation in the local community?
- What do the school’s academic results look like?
For us, the choice was simple. When we found our new home we could then shortlist the schools in the surrounding area. The school we ended up choosing had a good reputation, was similar in size to our previous school and was within walking distance to our home.
When we chose the new school, we made our daughter feel as though she was part of the selection process. We talked to her about the school and showed her their website and Facebook page. We also found a YouTube video presented by the school students, highlighting the school’s achievements and extra-curricular activities. This made my daughter excited for the future and she then gave us the seal of approval to proceed with the school.
7. Contact the new school
Once you have decided on the new school, give them a call. Let them know you are interested in enrolling your child.
They’ll ask a few questions, such as your child’s name, age and year. They’ll also likely check that you’ll be living within the school catchment area. (A school catchment area is the defined geographical area that students must live within to be accepted into a public (state) school.
The school will then book a time for you to come in for a meet and greet with them and to start the enrolment process.
TIP When booking the meeting with the school, ask them what documentation they’ll need from you to complete the enrolment process. That way you’ll be prepared and can bring it with you for the meeting. If you are sure you want to enrol with them, you can also ask them to email you a copy of their enrolment form. This will enable you to complete it ahead of time.
8. Enrol and Meet with the new school
The meeting you have with the school will either be with the principal or a designated staff member. It’s a great opportunity for you (and your child) to ask any questions that may be important to you.
For example, if your child was in the school band at her old school, you may want to know if she would have the same opportunity at the new school.
During the meeting, the new school will give you lots of infomation that you’ll need to know. This will include things like – the student code of conduct, homework policy, prospectus, canteen list and pricing, uniform list and pricing and dress code.
TIP Take this opportunity to ask how they send out their communication to parents. Its really important for you to know this. It can save you lots of confusion and hassle.
Each school operates differently when it comes to communicating with parents about school activities and events. Some do it via email, some via text, others use apps, and some send notes home with the kids. You want to make sure you don’t miss any notifications after your child starts at the school.
9. Tour the new school
During the meet and greet you’ll be invited to take a tour of the school with your child. If this isn’t offered, I highly recommend you request it. This will allow you to see all the facilities including classrooms, library, school hall, canteen (tuck shop), toilets and playground. This will benefit your child as it will show her where the basic amenities are.
10. Find out what you’ll need to purchase
After enrolling, there will be things you’ll need to purchase before your child’s first day.
They may include –
- New school uniform (including hat, school bag, library bag)
- Exercise books
- School supplies/stationery
The school will give you a list of everything you will need.
TIP If you are given options to choose from, ask the question, “What does the majority do”? What I mean by this is:
- Our new school told us we could choose between two types of school hats (one with a drawstring and one without). Before deciding, I asked the question, what do the majority of children wear?
- We were also told we could choose between buying an official school bag (with the school logo on it) or go out and buy a general one from a variety store. Again, I asked the question, what do the majority of children have?
If your child has what the majority have, it will help her feel like she belongs.
11. Confirm the procedure for your child’s first day
After you decide when the first day of school will be, be sure to check the arrangements for that day, such as –
- Is it a normal school day? (i.e. make sure it’s not a dress-up day, sports day or an excursion day) If so, you will need to plan differently.
- Ask the school about drop off on the first day (i.e. what time and where)?
- Let your child know where you will pick her up after the first day. I recommend picking her up outside her classroom. This will allow you to have a quick chat with the teacher and ask how her first day went.
12. Check to see how your child is feeling
After your daughter has started at her new school, have regular conversations with her about how she is feeling about everything. You can ask her about any new friends, her teacher, and other students in her class. You can also ask her what she does during her breaks.
In my daughters’ case, she enjoyed speaking about the differences between her old and new schools.
You will also be able to tell if your child is settling in well by her mood and behaviour after school.
Children are generally quite resilient and adaptable. They tend to make friends easily and most manage to move school quite happily. But checking in with them regularly during the early stage of the move is important.
13. Check with the new teacher on your child’s progress
After your child has been at the new school for a couple of weeks, it’s a good idea to check with her new teacher on how she is progressing and settling in. If there are any concerns the teacher will tell you and you’ll be able to address them and talk to your daughter about them.
Some additional things you can do
Your daughter will become settled and happy once she has made some firm new friends. To encourage this you may want to enrol her into some extra-curricular activities, such as dance, sport or music.
You could also look at arranging some playdates with her new classmates. The quicker she bonds with others the happier she’ll be.
Some challenges that you may encounter
There are a few small challenges that may occur due to your move that you should be aware of. Most of these we are currently experiencing ourselves due to our daughter’s school move.
- Each school follows the same curriculum, but they don’t all teach the curriculum in the same order throughout the year. For example, at her old school, for Australian history, my daughter was taught about the first settlers in the first half of the year. In June we moved her to the new school and unfortunately, they are only just now starting to cover that same topic. What that means is my daughter is not only repeating the same subject twice, but she is also going to miss out on a whole subject, because her new school has already completed it.
- Some schools offer extra subjects that your child may not have previously been taught at her old school. For example, my daughter did not have any language subjects at her old school, but she is now learning French in her new one. Due to starting halfway through the year she is quite behind in the subject and has a lot of catching up to do.
- If your child moves schools close to the time that school reports are due, when students at the new school are all receiving their reports, your child will not be getting one. You may have to wait for the old school to send you your child’s report and then pass it on to the new school.
- Even though your child may be making new friends and enjoying her new school, it may still take some time for her to form close and bonded friendships. You may find she misses her old friends for quite a while.
To Sum Up
I hope you’ve found this post to be informative. Try to not get overwhelmed by how much you need to do. Instead, take it one step at a time.
Anything you are unsure of, the schools (old and new) will be able to help you with, so make sure you ask questions – I am good at that and believe me it helps!
I’ve put together this simple checklist for you to follow as you go along.
If you have any other pieces of advice or any handy tips to add, I’d love to hear about them.
Finally, if you are in the process of a school move, I wish you and your little one all the best for a bright future.
May your little girl shine at her new school!
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