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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