EDUCATION
RELOCATING TEENAGERS
WHEN IS A GOOD TIME TO RELOCATE? THE ANSWER WHEN YOU HAVE TEENAGERS WHO ARE HAPPY, SETTLED AND FLOURISHING IN THEIR PRESENT SCHOOL IS‘ THERE IS NEVER A GOOD TIME’. BUT LIFE DOESN’ T ALWAYS WORK OUT SO STRAIGHTFORWARDLY, AND THIS CAN BE A HARD LESSON FOR YOUR CHILDREN TO LEARN WHEN YOU DROP THE BOMBSHELL ON THEM THAT NOT ONLY WILL THEY BE CHANGING SCHOOL, BUT ALSO POSSIBLY MOVING HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY FROM THE LIFE THEY’ VE KNOWN, OFTEN FROM CHILDHOOD.
It’ s understandably difficult for teenagers with long-established friends and familiar routines to imagine that their lives will ever be the same again. And in some ways they won’ t, and there’ s little point trying to gloss over that point. But as a parent there are many ways you can help‘ sell’ a relocation, and many ways that you can help to reassure your anxious child( even if this anxiety is expressed in teenager-appropriate surly form!) that there will be life after‘ the move’.
insideKENT spoke to Ann, recently relocated to Kent, about her move with teenagers, and what advice she’ d give to parents consider a relocation:
“ First take a look at yourself. If parents manage to be both positive and realistic about what the move will mean, this will be helpful. Change is exciting and often leads to new opportunities and options. In our case, the prospect of moving to Kent College Canterbury took us straight to the school website to see what was on offer. For our hockey-mad son, the GTX Sports Scholarship
Programme was the turning point in negotiations that had, until that point, been sticky. He could see that new doors would open not only at school, but also in the England hockey system( Canterbury is a hockey-mad city), and this helped enormously for him to think positively about relocating.
“ He was also lucky with the timing of our move academically – he was able to choose his GCSEs in time to start the courses in September, and there was not only a wider range of subjects but also a great deal more flexibility of choice than in his old school.
“ My daughter was not so lucky. She moved halfway through her GCSEs – not ideal in any sense, particularly as she had to change exam boards for almost all of her subjects. The results are yet to be seen … but the support from staff at Kent College Canterbury has been exemplary, with a lot of one-to-one support and extra lessons to allow her to catch up. And even here there are positives, as the move has allowed her to explore new avenues and much to our( and her) surprise has opened up entirely new possibilities for her Sixth form options.
“ And what about friends? Well, they miss their old friends, but thanks to Instagram, Snapchat, Xbox, Skype etc. they also communicate with them regularly. And they now have a whole set of new friends, as evidenced by the increased number of likes and followers on various social media accounts. Sport was a great way in for both of them – being in a team and going away on fixtures and tours has been a brilliant way to feel part of the furniture. And the general friendliness of both staff and pupils at KCC has undoubtedly been a factor – it’ s a warm and welcoming place that feels happy in its own skin, and this is apparent as soon as you talk to anyone who is involved in the school.
“ So we made the move. It wasn’ t great timing, and it’ s had its down moments. But the positives vastly outweigh the negatives, and our teenagers are stronger and more resilient as a result. Embrace the change!”
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