Moving schools

Do I have permission to move my kinship child to a new school?

Choosing a new school for your kinship child depends on whether you have parental responsibility for them.

If you are:

• an informal kinship carer
• a private foster carer
• a kinship foster carer

you don’t have parental responsibility for your kinship child. Informal kinship carers and private foster carers need to work with their child’s birth parents to come to any decisions about choosing a school. Kinship foster carers need to work with their child’s social worker.

If you have a special guardianship order (SGO), you have overriding parental responsibility and can make decisions about school. It’s still best to involve your child’s birth parents in any conversations about choosing a school where it’s safe to do so.

If you have a child arrangements order (CAO), you share parental responsibility with your child’s birth parents so must make decisions about school together.

Moving your kinship child to a new school

If your kinship child moves to a new area to live with you, they might need to move schools too.

Schools call this a “transition”. The term also applies to other types of moves, such as:

• early years to reception class
• primary to secondary school
• secondary school to college

You can read our guidance on finding a school for your kinship child.

If your child is:

• in kinship foster care
• under a special guardianship order
• under a child arrangements order

you may also get support from your local authority’s virtual school to move schools.

You can move schools at any time of the year.

School admission teams must give priority to children:

• in the care of children’s services
• previously looked after by the local authority
• previously looked after by the local authority that left care under a special guardianship order or child arrangements order

They can’t refuse to admit a child because of their challenging behaviour.

Schools can admit children even if the class size is full.

You can work with both schools to make the transition as smooth as possible for your kinship child. Read our section on how to prepare for moving schools.

Transition from primary to secondary school

Moving from primary to secondary school can be a big change for everyone.

In primary school, children will likely have 1 main teacher, but in secondary school they will have many. Different staff will likely share pastoral care between them.

SATs exams also happen at the same time as primary children prepare to move to secondary school. You might find that during this period, your kinship child is more stressed or anxious than normal. Work with their primary school to make sure your child knows what support is there for them if they need it.

Moving from secondary school to college is another big change. With each school transition, you can work with both schools, or their new college, to find ways to support your kinship child at home and school.

Moving school at short notice

Your circumstances might mean that you need to move your kinship child at short notice. If you do:

• contact the local authority of the school you want to move them to – they can give you advice on the process
• ask on local network groups about school experiences
• meet with the school as soon as possible to explain your child’s situation
• work with the school to manage the transition and have plans for if your child becomes distressed or upset at school

How to prepare for moving schools

Work with both schools

Both schools should carefully manage kinship children’s transitions. They should consider your child’s needs and previous life experiences to help them prepare for their move.

You could ask your child’s current school to:

• write a 1-page summary of your child for the new school, covering:
  • what their favourite subjects are
  • what strategies help them learn
  • how they like to communicate in lessons
• share paperwork and key information about your kinship child’s needs with you or the new school

The new school can:

• arrange several visits to the school before moving
• arrange a meeting with their teacher or designated teacher before starting
• tell you about events to help with transitions, for example open days and tours
• meet you without your kinship child so you can raise any sensitive issues
• tell you about any parent groups you can join
• tell you about any extra support they can offer your child, for example:
  • extra meetings
  • therapy sessions
  • regular reports for you to check their progress and how they’re doing

If your child has special educational needs (SEN) or a disability

If your child is moving schools and has special educational needs or a disability, but does not have an education, health and care (EHC) plan, you need to work with both schools to make sure they pass the right information on.

Set up a transition planning meeting with their current school. You should discuss and write down:

• how they will help your child transition schools
• when the move will happen
• who’s involved from the school

At the new school, meet with the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) to talk about:

• your child’s needs
• how they will support your child
• strategies that work for your child if they get upset or are struggling
• what support there is during break times and lunch times

You can find the school’s SEN policy on their website too.

Moving your child to a new school with an education, health and care plan

If your kinship child has an education, health and care plan and you want to move schools, contact the special educational needs team at your current local authority to discuss the move. This is important if your child will be moving to a different local authority area. You can also seek support from their current school’s SENCO.

Understand your kinship child’s feelings

Transitions can be difficult for kinship children, who may have already experienced a lot of life changes and disruption. They may need more support, or longer, more gradual transitions than other pupils. Speak to your child to find a balance between their wants and needs.

Your kinship child may have past trauma. Moving schools may make them experience those feelings of trauma again. We have advice on recognising trauma and how to support your child.

Common worries for children moving schools

Moving school can stir up some worries for children, including:

• missing friends from their old school
• worrying about fitting in
• finding their way around
• not liking teachers
• feeling insecure or like they don’t belong
• not wanting to go to school

Prepare at home

At home, you may want to do things like:

• encourage your child to express their feelings and concerns
• find a virtual tour on the school’s website, so they can learn the layout of the school
• create a daily routine for them before they move
• offer reassurance and positive reinforcement
• plan your child’s journey to a new school before they start, including trial run(s)
• read books about moving schools
• go through their timetable with them

You can also ask your child how they want to talk about their situation with other children at their new school. If you talk about it in advance, it will help your child manage those conversations with their peers, so they won’t feel anxious or awkward if it comes up.

If you’re not sure what strategies might work, speak to your kinship child, as well as their social worker (if applicable).

Support from Kinship

Here at Kinship, we offer a range of free support for all kinship carers, including:

• free online and in-person workshops
• online advice and information
• online and in-person peer support groups

To find services, information and support in your local area – including information about your local children’s services – use our Kinship Compass tool.

You can also contact the Kinship advice team for free, non-judgmental advice and information if you live in England or Wales.