Guides
Moving house with school-aged kids: during Term 4 or in the summer holidays?
A family move this year falls either before school finishes on Thursday 17 December or in the summer holidays, and in both cases the school place your child is guaranteed depends on your new address.
Moving house with kids this year: two windows
NSW Term 4 runs from Tuesday 13 October to Thursday 17 December, so a family move between now and late January falls into one of two windows. The first is the rest of term, which ends on Thursday 17 December 2026. The second is the summer break. In the Eastern division it runs from Friday 18 December 2026 to Wednesday 27 January 2027, and in the Western division it runs to Wednesday 3 February.
By our count the Eastern summer gap is 41 days: 14 days in December from the 18th, plus 27 in January. Four of those days are public holidays: Christmas Day on Friday 25 December, Boxing Day on Saturday 26 December, an additional public holiday on Monday 28 December, and New Year's Day on Friday 1 January. The window is long, but its middle is crowded.
One caution before you pencil anything in. The state's school holidays page says a small number of schools near the Victorian and Queensland borders run on different dates, so check the dates with both schools.
A small number of schools near the Victorian and Queensland borders run on different dates, so check locally.
Moving during the school term or in the holidays?
Neither window is right for every child.
Moving before 17 December. Your child can start at the new school mid-term, or you can ask both schools about timing the switch for the break. Moving day falls on a school day, which means 40 km/h school zones around any school on your route.
Moving in the summer holidays. There are no school mornings to plan around. The trade-off is the public holiday stretch from Christmas to New Year, and a long gap in which a child is in a new house without a class to belong to yet.
If you rent, the notice clock also shapes the date. Minimum notice is 21 days on a periodic agreement and 14 days at the end of a fixed term. Our end-of-lease checklist covers the bond side.
| Move before school finishes | Move in the summer holidays | |
|---|---|---|
| Window | Now to Thu 17 Dec 2026 | Fri 18 Dec 2026 to Wed 27 Jan 2027 (Eastern) |
| School days on moving day | Yes, 40 km/h school zones operate on notified school days | No school days |
| Public holidays inside the window | None listed | Fri 25 Dec, Sat 26 Dec, Mon 28 Dec, Fri 1 Jan |
| Starting a new school | Start mid-term, or ask both schools about timing the switch | Check the new school's start date |
| Questions to ask yourself | Can the kids handle a commute or a mid-term change? | Does a long break help them settle, or leave them unsettled? |
Changing schools when you move: who to tell and what to bring
Your address does most of the work. Each NSW public primary school has a catchment zone, or local enrolment area, and a child who lives inside it is guaranteed a place. The Department's School Finder helps you find the schools in your local catchment zone from a home address, so look up the new one as soon as you know it.
Then gather the paperwork. Enrolment usually needs a birth certificate or identity documents, proof of residential address, an immunisation statement from the Australian Immunisation Register, and any family law or court orders, plus medical, emergency or learning support plans where they apply.
A few points catch families out:
- The interview. New enrolments usually involve an interview with the principal or a senior staff member.
- One school at a time. Your child should be enrolled in only one school at a time, so line up the new enrolment and the departure from the old school together.
- Immunisation. A missing certificate does not block enrolment. However, a child may be asked to stay home during an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease.
- Starting Kindergarten next year. Schools generally start accepting new enrolments in the second half of the year before a child starts. They can also help with questions throughout the year.
These rules come from the primary-school pages. For high school, ask the new school directly what it needs.
Before the new school's first day
Keeping your current school after a move
A new address can mean a new catchment. Living near a catchment zone is not the same as living inside it: a guaranteed place depends on where you live, and a place outside the zone depends on the school having room.
If you want to stay at the old school, you will usually need an out-of-area application. Out-of-area enrolment carries no guarantee, and the form is usually separate. Applications are generally assessed on criteria such as siblings already at the school, disability or additional needs, medical reasons, and special interests or abilities. Check the school's requirements and cut-off dates before you sign a lease or contract. A refused primary application can be appealed, generally by letter to the principal.
Moving day with school-aged kids
Pack one "first night" box and keep it out of the truck. Put in school bags, tomorrow's uniform, lunchboxes, devices and their chargers, and the toy or blanket each child sleeps with. If the move happens on a school day, that box is the difference between a normal morning and a hunt through the cartons.
Next, split the morning. One adult does the school run while the other meets the movers, so nobody is choosing between the front door and the school gate.
Allow for school zones too. The 40 km/h limit applies on all notified school days, including school development days, and offences carry increased fines and demerit points, especially in double demerit periods. Development days are a trap of their own. They are set by the Department but may vary by school, so a "school day" at the old address can be a day at home for your kids.
Moving into a unit? Book the lift and loading dock around the school run. Our guide to booking a lift and loading dock walks through it.
The school-move numbers
- Term 4 last dayThursday 17 December 2026Source: NSW school holidays
- Summer holidays (Eastern)Friday 18 December 2026 to Wednesday 27 January 2027Source: NSW school holidays
- School zones40 km/h on all notified school days, including school development daysSource: NSW school holidays
- Live inside the catchment zoneGuaranteed place at the local public primary schoolSource: Find and select a primary school
- One school at a timeSource: Enrolling your child
Planning your family move with Lane Cove Removals
Pick your window first: before Thursday 17 December, or in the summer break. Then confirm the new school's dates and paperwork. When you request a quote, mention in the message box which window you're aiming for and whether moving day falls on a school day. You can start on the Get a Quote page, and our apartment and house move pages cover the job at each end.
Sources
- https://www.nsw.gov.au/about-nsw/school-holidays
- https://www.nsw.gov.au/about-nsw/public-holidays
- https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/primary-and-high-school/starting-primary-school/find-and-select-a-primary-school
- https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/primary-and-high-school/starting-primary-school/enrolling-your-child
- https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/primary-and-high-school/starting-primary-school/enrolling-your-child/enrolling-a-school-outside-your-catchment-zone
- https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/primary-and-high-school/starting-primary-school/enrolling-your-child/immunisation-requirements
- https://www.nsw.gov.au/housing-and-construction/rules/minimum-notice-periods-for-ending-a-residential-tenancy
The next step
Tell us about both doors
Five minutes of form beats a week of phone tag. Two addresses, the size of the place, the access story at each end: from that our partner removalist sizes the crew, names the hourly rate and rings you back with the day already sketched.