My wife, from whom I separated 20 months ago, has recently moved from the house she was renting in the same town as me to a town 11 miles away. I have just found out from my child that she is moving my 7-year-old daughter to a school in her new town from September.
Do I have any say in whether my child moves schools? We have informally agreed 50/50 shared custody of our four children and my daughter moving to this school will impact on my ability to have her to stay overnight Mon-Fri, and being able to take her to school. Many thanks for any advice you can give.
When you separate from your partner there is always a tug of war about who can make decisions concerning your children's wellbeing. Finding out through your child that your ex is making an important decision without you is frustrating, and you probably feel like your opinions are not being taken into consideration. Not only has your ex moved your children further away, but now she is trying to change other important parts of their life.
Before taking any action, it's important to understand what legal authority you have in decisions about your daughter's education using our free Rights Checker.
It is unfair of your wife to make this decision without talking to you first, as you should be consulted about your child moving schools. As you were married to the mother of your child you will have legal responsibility for your child. This means that have a responsibility to provide for your child but also that you are entitled to a have a say in their upbringing and have a Right To Be Kept Informed Of Important Developments In Her Life.
Generate a professional letter to your ex, solicitor or school. Takes 2 minutes.
Try our Letter Builder free, here on this site →Usually the distinction is that the resident parent has responsibility for everyday decisions, while the non-resident parent needs to be consulted about bigger decisions regarding their upbringing. Changing schools can be argued as an everyday decision or a major one, but either way, as you have child arrangements your situation is a bit different as there is no one resident parent.
Although it is good to stay out of the courts, it may be better for you to formalize a child arrangements order so that your rights can be recognized. As this decision will impact on your ability to care for your child it is a major one and you should be able to fight against it if you want to. Tell your wife about your concerns but, if she is unwilling to cooperate, it may be a good idea to consult your lawyer as you have a good legal case.
You do not say what your relationship with your wife is like but try talking to her (read our article on Developing An Amicable Relationship With Your Ex). You should not be hearing about things like this through your child and if you agree to a child arrangements order, she has to realise that you need to be consulted about any decisions that she makes. Setting the ground rules now will help you both be clear about your rights and responsibilities as you move forward.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
I've a question directly related to the covid 19 situation, my ex is a childminder who is caring for 6 other kids from different houses besides mine, she has also sent them back to school as a key worker. Due to this I've had to restrict them coming to me on overnights until this is over. Is anyone else in the same situation or have any advice.
The relationship is as you can probably tell quite acrimonious as we are in the middle of financial discussions.
Without telling my ex father we are not married but he has Prenatal responsibility we have a court order but it doesn’t state I can’t move school
I have inform him now of the new school and details but now saying I should by law told him before I move
Is this true did I need his permission?
I am the father of a 10 year old daughter. I went to court when She was one and gained court orders which progressed to 2 nights a week when She was two.
Since then we have had a few mediation agreements drawn up and it has slowly progressed to where it is now 50/50. Whilst we have had disagreements everything was running smoothly and the plan was followed consistently.
Two weeks ago when She was with Her Mother I was told by Her Mother She no longer wants to continue 50/50 and that my Daughter was too frightened to speak to me on the phone. It is a shock as the night before I had spoke to my daughter on the phone and She had agreed we would go to the Zoo together next visit.
I have tried repeatedly to contact my daughter through her Mother to speak to Her. Her Mother rarely responds to SMSs or email. Nothing by Phone. Only once every few days saying She is not wanting to talk with me or see me. This is a repeat of the Mothers behavior before I got the Court Orders a long time ago. Only then it was to find out How She was or if I could see Her.
I have had a mediator ring Her and She has refused Mediation so a certificate has been issued.
I have approached the school and informed them I may visit my Daughter there when it starts again. They agreed that should not be a problem as they think I am a good parent.
My worries are apart from the damage being done to my Daughter, that the Mother may change schools without my permission.
It is a most distressing period for Me as I had a close relationship with my Daughter and I feel the same as if She has died and their has been no Funeral.
dose anyone have any ideas what i can do i was hoping she might come looking as well as i am on her birth certificate please help
My daughter wishes to move to where her boyfriend is from 45 minutes up the road from where she is now due a a good job offer. A change of school will be required for her child with her ex. He originally agreed to the move and visiting was all sorted out. My daughter went ahead and has now got a new house lined up.
But at the weekend she received a solicitors letter from her ex boyfriend's solicitor stating that he opposes the move and has accused my daughter of mental abuse of their child by stating that she told their son if he doesn't move he wont get to see his step brother with whom he has lived with for over a year and they have a really good bond. My daughter has never ever said this at all and never would.
A court case has now been arranged in July as due to him accusing her of mental abuse there can be no mediation so goes straight to a court case. My daughter would have liked to have gone to mediation to try and sort this out first. Can anyone offer advice on what options are available to her?
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