The need or want to choose a new school for children after separation can arise in multiple scenarios including:
- A child commencing at school for the first time;
- Graduating from primary school and commencing at high school;
- Being unable to continue to afford to send them to private school;
- Moving away from the existing school and wanting to enrol at a school closer to the new home;
For most families this should be a decision that parents should be encouraged to consult with each other about, as education and schooling is a major long term issue.
For some families this is not an issue, as private school is not affordable, both parents live in the same school catchment area and an out of catchment school is not an option and as such it is not an issue they are in conflict about.
However, for other families:
- the parents may live in different school catchment areas meaning the child could go to a school in either catchment; or
- perhaps there is an opportunity to attend at an out of catchment school; or
- one or both parties may be seeking to send the children to private school.
If there are choices it is more important that those with parental responsibility for schooling and education of the children should consult with each other and not make the decision unilaterally.
But what if you can’t reach an agreement in discussions between yourselves? My recommendation is to attend family dispute resolution (also called FDR or mediation). However, I do recommend you obtain expert family law advice from a Townsville family lawyer. CLT Family Law is an affordable family lawyer offering a fixed fee initial consultation.
If you can’t reach an agreement at FDR, CLT Family Law, the best family lawyer in Townsville can assist you in negotiations and representation in court.
