Children integration in a new school in England

Hello everyone,

Moving abroad can be particularly hard on children. For any parent planning a move to England, it is of utmost importance to make sure they do everything in their power to make sure their children's transition is as smooth as possible. Would you be able to give a few tips to parents planning to move to England by answering the following questions on children integration?

What does one need to factor in when choosing a new school for their children in England?

How does one prepare their children for the transition into a new school in England?

How does one help their children integrate into their new school? Any tips to help a child transitioning into a completely different new program or curriculum?

Is there an age period during which a child really should change schools?

What are the signs that a child is having trouble transitioning into their new school?

Tell us how it went for your child in England.

Please share your experience,

Bhavna

Hi. Well, my own son is now aged 15 and so was born here so there's not the same issues, although what I can tell you is what I know in general about schools here and also the fact that kids seem to be OK with new pupils from other countries. My son says kids come to the school from Romania, Poland, etc. and I asked him if other kids are nice to them and he says yes.  There is racism at school, or at least separatism, but that probably also  depends where you live. more rural areas its gonna be like that.

OK, what I know. post codes are a big thing here. If you're not in the right post code for a school, you basically wont get your child in it.  If you lie about your post code, it's an offence. Read their Ofsted reports you can find those online or on the school website. Or word of mouth about a school. Go to the open evenings.

At primary, they still have religious education (church of england). But not at the big school. Your child may hate the uniform. Not used to it. But they will get used to it. They have no choice. and anyway, they look smart.

I don't find schools particularly strict here apart from the uniforms and appearance rules. Typical that some teachers cannot control a classroom here. Many teachers are very young here, not much older than the pupils. Not a bad thing.

There is also an element of schools thinking they are better than parents. Least that's my experience. I've had some memos off the school that I thought were quite condescening to parents. Whatever.

They get a lot of homework, but they also do stateside.  There's also lots of extra curricular activities here. And far more day trips than there are stateside.  Including overnight trips. Or trips abroad. IMO, a bit too much.

Signs of trouble? I don't know. Perhaps they dread going to school. Or they come home crying. Or they have no friends. Who knows. You know your child better than we do. Actually, we don't know them at all ;)

Kids adjust faster than adults. So, remember that one x