If you are divorcing, it’s possible that your child will be heading to a new school after the summer break. This could be due to you or your co-parent moving, due to the divorce, meaning you can no longer afford to pay the fees of the old school or because your child is moving up from middle school to high school.
One thing you may be wondering is whether you should tell the school about your divorce.
It’s helpful for them to know.
The teachers will get to know your children well with time, yet when your child first enters the school, they won’t know much about them at all. If your child acts out or does poorly in their studies, the teachers may assume that is how your child always is.
Divorce can be stressful for children, and that stress can affect them in different ways. Some children go through behavioral changes due to this, perhaps getting into fights or mischief. Others find it hard to concentrate on their studies or struggle to adapt to a new routine of moving between two houses, forgetting books and kit.
If the teachers see these sorts of behaviors, they may take what they see at face value, marking your child down as troublesome, unmotivated or not that bright. If you do not give them the backstory, they cannot be expected to know any different.
You don’t need to give them details of your divorce, but mentioning that it’s fresh and may still be affecting your child allows them to factor it into how they assess and deal with them.