Strong relationships between schools and families are essential in supporting new pupils and helping them settle successfully. This element focuses on fostering school – family relationships, and supporting a sense of belonging to the new school community for pupils and their families.

Key information

Trust

Building trust is especially important for parents/carers who have experienced relationship breakdowns with previous schools, or for children/young people whose needs were not met or who have been at risk of permanent exclusion. These experiences can lead to negative feelings towards education and reduced trust in professionals. Educators highlight how positive interactions, open communication, and strong relationships can shift negative feelings and even prevent school moves.

Communication

Open discussions between parents/carers and schools are important when concerns arise. In some cases, where parents/carers choose to move their children, they may not have fully communicated their worries with the school or explored available support before considering a move. In other cases, school moves may be initiated by schools against the wishes of parents/carers. Moving school may not always be the solution for individual pupils; in some situations, it can increase disruption and make challenges worse rather than resolving them.

Complex circumstances

Reasons for school moves may be complex and due to a combination of factors that are not always within the control of the parents/carers or child/young person themselves (Jørgensen et al., 2026). For example, for children and young people in care, school moves may be caused by a breakdown in residential placement and for children and young people in temporary housing, it may be due to families being moved to a different accommodation. In both cases, this may happen with very short notice. These contexts are important for schools to be aware of but are also potentially very sensitive for the child/young person and/or their family. This further emphasises the importance of trust, relationships and understanding on behalf of schools in their work with children and young people who have moved school and the people caring for them.

Practical suggestions to nurture relationships with parents/carers of pupils moving school

The following practical suggestions have been identified by families, schools and local authorities participating in the School MOVES study, as helpful for supporting nurturing relationships with parent/carers of children and young people moving school.

Maintaining open communication, trust and positive relationships through practices such as:

• Meeting with the family before or upon admission.
• Having a relational approach, investing time in relationships with families.
• Helping parents/carers feel confident to ask questions and seek support without fear of being seen as difficult.
• Ensuring clear, accessible and consistent communication, using relevant technology.
• Showing genuine interest in the families and getting to know the context of their move.
• Focusing on delivering positive news especially in the first few weeks.
• Having a family support worker who can liaise with the parents/carers.
• Having staff present at the school gate to welcome pupils (and their parents/carers, where relevant) each morning.
• Signposting families to external services or offering information about events in the local community.
• Inviting new families to events celebrating different cultures/holidays, opportunities for networking, learning English or computer skills, school assemblies, sports days, coffee mornings, school lunches.