Last Updated on May 24, 2025 by alli
This post is specifically for Australian mums moving a child between public primary schools. While private school procedures may differ, many of the tips here will still apply.
Thinking of moving your daughter to a new primary school? You’re not alone, and you’ve come to the right place! Whether you’re still weighing up the idea or already filling out paperwork, this post is here to help.
Moving schools feels like a big deal when you have to do it. As a mum who’s been through the process, I know how overwhelming it can feel. You want to get it right for your child’s wellbeing, education, and happiness. But there’s a lot to consider.
Firstly, know you’re not alone. A child changing schools is more common than you may think.
Reasons for Moving Schools
There are many reasons why a child may move. Some of these 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
We moved to Queensland on 1st June 2021 after my partner was offered a job transfer. At the time, property prices there were more affordable, so we made the decision to leave Sydney, and our family and friends to start a new life. I want you to know that changing schools can go smoothly!
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 obviously, moving at the end of a full school year is considered the best time.
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 old 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 their email 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
Talk openly to your daughter about the move well in advance. The most important part of this communication is to be enthusiastic and keep it positive at all times.
You can mention all the new opportunites that 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 the bad stuff behind and can start fresh somewhere else! 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’ll 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’s 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. Involve your daughter in choosing the new school
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 captains, 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.
What you’re looking for in a new school will differ from one family 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.
7. Contact the new school
Once you’ve decided on the new school, give them a call. Let them know you’re 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’re 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 meet and greet with the new school will likely be with the principal or deputy principal. 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 important infomation – 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 the school how they send out their communication to parents. It’s really important 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 help your child see in advance where the basic amenities are.
10. Find out what you’ll need to purchase
After enrolling, there’ll be things you’ll need to purchase before the first day at the new school. They’ll include things like:
- New school uniform
- Exercise books
- School supplies/stationery
The school will give you a list of everything you’ll need.
TIP: If you’re given options to choose from, such as two types of school hats – one with drawstring and one without. Ask the question, “What do the majority of kids have”? Your daughter will feel like she belongs if she’s wearing what most of the other kids are wearing.
11. Confirm the procedure for your child’s first day
Be sure to confirm the arrangements for the first 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’ll need to plan differently.
- Ask the school about drop off on the first day – what time and who will be there to meet her?
- Let your daughter know where you’ll pick her up from at the end of the day. I recommend picking her up outside her classroom. This will be a great opportunity to have a quick chat with the teacher and ask how her first day went.
12. Check in to see how your child is feeling
Have regular conversations with your daughter about how she’s feeling about her new school. You can ask her about her new friends, her teacher, and other students in her class. You can also ask her what she does during her breaks.
In my daughter’s case, she enjoyed talking about the differences between her old and new schools.
You’ll 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 stages is important.
13. Check with the new teacher on your child’s progress
After your daughter has been at the new school for a couple of weeks, it’s a good idea to check in with her new teacher on how she’s 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’s made some good friends. To encourage this you could 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
Here are a few small challenges that you may experience at the new school:
- Not all schools teach the curriculum in the same order. For example, at her old school – for Australian history – my daughter was taught about the first settlers in the first half of the year. We moved her to the new school half way through the year and unfortunately, they were only just starting to cover the same topic when she arrived. My daughter had to repeat the same subject twice (which she found boring), and she missed out on a whole new subject, because her new school had already completed it.
- Some schools offer subjects that your child may not have previously been taught at her old school. For example, my daughter didn’t 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 when school reports are due, 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 daughter 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 the information in this post has helped eased some concerns. Try to not get overwhelmed by how much you need to do. Instead, take it one step at a time. Anything you’re unsure of, the schools (old and new) will be able to help you with, so make sure you ask questions!
Free download! Moving schools checklist
If you’re 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!
For more ‘girl mum’ topics, tips, and free resources, don’t forget to subscribe to Little Girl Shining. You’ll be joining a group of mums with one special thing in common… we all have little girls! x