Should You Move Your Child To A Different School?

Should You Move Your Child To A Different School?

This isn’t always the ideal thing to do, especially when your child is benefiting from the school they are in. If they’re happy and learning well, it would usually be wrong to move them. 

But then again, it might be that there are valid reasons for moving your child to a different school. It will be a hassle but it could be the best thing to do if any of the following apply.

Reasons To Move School

#1: Your child is unhappy

Not every child enjoys going to school. This is something you will appreciate if you weren’t a fan of school yourself. In some cases, children will hate school for reasons that don’t require a move. But if your child doesn’t enjoy school because of issues that aren’t being dealt with by their teachers, a move to a new school could be necessary. We are thinking of issues related to bullying, for example, or academic struggles that your child might experience. It is the job of the school to handle these but when they don’t take sufficient action, you need to do something about it. Writing to the school governors or local education authority is one way to take action but so is moving your child to a school that won’t neglect their needs. 

#2: Your child has special educational needs

Some schools have SEN staff in place to help children with any specific needs they have. We are thinking of children who have been diagnosed with autism, for example, or children who are dyslexic. Schools will often hire specialist teachers or they might bring learning professionals in from outside agencies to support the children in their care. But if your child has special educational needs, and their school doesn’t cater to the specific learning requirements your child has, a move could be necessary. This could be to a specialist school that better understands the needs your child has, or it could be to any local school that has experienced staff to support your child’s learning needs. Even if there are schools that can cater to your child’s special needs, it would still be better to let your child undergo autism therapy. 

#3: Your child isn’t progressing

Why do children go to school? To learn, of course. But if your child isn’t doing well academically, questions need to be raised. On the one hand, it could be that your child has special educational needs that haven’t yet been diagnosed. They might also be lazy at school and negligent of their homework. On the other hand, it might be that the school isn’t challenging your child enough. This might be the fault of the teacher or it could simply be because the teacher has a lot of other children to look after. A move to a new class could be the answer as could private tuition at home. But then again, it might be that your child will be better served in a new school in Townsville where they can receive more support in their learning.

In most cases, the school will work with you to overcome any problems that your child is facing, so a move doesn’t have to be on the cards. But if you come to the realisation that your child can no longer stay at their school, perhaps because of the reasons we have discussed here, then a move could be necessary.  It won’t be an easy choice but for the sake of your child, it could be the better one.

Contributed Article.