Is changing schools unsettling for kids??????

[sue1303]

Hi,

I'm feeling guilty stressed and confused and would like to hear other peoples experiences....We have already moved countries in the last 3 years and my little girl has been to a couple schools. We are now moving to Singapore (for the long term....I hope!!!!) and are faced with long waiting lists for the schools of choice which means if she isn't going to miss too much education she will have to go to an interim school till a place comes up. She copes outwardly fine with this but will it rear it's ugly head in the future (namely teenage/hormonal years!)

Has anyone been in the same situation? how easy was it for the children?

2 choices:
Changing to a better school = initial upheaval versus staying with the school place available = no upheaval ??????

Thoughts?

[LBS03]

Hi there,

Wanted to say I completeyly understand the stress you are going through - having faced it before and facing it again now (what with my kids having had to face similar moves quite a few times already and with a new move coming up to singapore).

My personal thoughts are:

- in all probability it is likely to be stressful for your little girl but it is perhaps much easier for her now than maybe when she 10 or so, when making new friends become more difficult

- one option to limit too many changes within a short period of time would be - to take the school place that's available - and perhaps sticking with that choice for atleast couple of years. That has both pros / cons - but would atleast avoid too many changes within a very short period of time

- specifically, once she does join her new school - at the cost of stating the obvious - I guess it would really help her to settle down if you can actively engineer her making new friends + potentially personally being involved in school activities etc. Also, I believe, at Singapore kids makes lots of friends at the condo's etc - so that should provide certain degree of stability

Good luck!