My mother moved us to Bath when I was 15, a year into my GCSEs. My sister was 9. My father was not present.

I remember feeling positive about the move because I liked Bath having visited it many times, and thought the houses were nicer. I was worried about missing my friends and my home, but the overriding feeling was one of new horizons, a fresh start, and adventure. I suspect the way my mother pitched the idea to me had some bearing on this. 

I did miss our house - we spent 9 months in a horrible rural housing estate, renting on the cheap while we looked for a house to buy. But we settled to the changes much quicker than you'd think. My sister and I played active roles in the househunting and became valuation experts quite quickly! I think that including us in the research and decision-making process also helped us feel empowered and positive, like we were all in it together. It might have been our mother really making all the decisions, but we felt involved.

We also had some say in which new schools we went to.I went along to look at three different ones, and chose one that ended up being very close to the house we eventually bought. 

I made new friends very quickly and even I thought they were much better than the old lot! Our new neighbourhood had a wonderful sense of community and there was lots to learn. I actually came out of my shell within a couple of years had transformed from being quite shy and geeky, to being popular and outspoken. Though I am not sure that did me so many favours!

All in all I do not recall having any negative feelings about the move. I am quite adventurous by nature anyway, but my mother's optimism also kept me feeling positive and so did the way she included us in the decision making. 

The only downside was that I ended up having to repeat a year of GCSEs because I'd been placed in the wrong year, so I did three years of GCSEs, and I am not convinced this was such a good thing - I think that having to cover the same work all over again contributed to me losing interest in my education. I got through though, and passed everything. 

If you are moving your daughter before this period then I don't think her education would suffer. 

My mother, for her part, went to about 9 different schools in three different countries between the age of 5 and 18, because her parents were in the civil service and were posted to new places every couple of years. It does not seem to have done her any harm at all and she got an excellent education. 

I don't yet have children, so I cannot say for certain how I would feel in your shoes. But from my own experiences I would say that a positive move can be good for children, as long as everything is discussed in a positive light, and the new lifestyle is better than what was left behind.

All children should certainly travel as much as possible and experience different lifestyles, to help broaden their minds. I think it is sad when people spend their whole lives in one place and are too afraid of the unknown to change their lives, so anything that combats that mentality can only be a good thing. 

A lot depends on how your daughter feels about the move. What is her opinion? Does she feel optimistic about it? Do you? 

Go for it! I had a best friend of 10 years that I left behind, but then in those days there was no email, no internet and no mobile phones. We did visit each other for a while but eventually my new friends took her place and we lost touch (we were reunited quite recently via Facebook, although we seem to have turned out very differently).

I think it will be easier for your daughter than it was for me, because there are so many ways to keep in touch. She can keep her old friends as well as making new ones. 

There should be no need to give up her hobbies (unless it's location-specific like surfing). I was a mad keen horserider at that age, and I continued this after the move, joining local clubs and volunteering to look after other people's horses. 

I felt attached to my home at the time as well, but it soon transpired that it was not the house that was important, but the people in it. I quickly grew to love our new house and it still felt like home because it was still us living in it.

My sister was not bothered about what house we lived in at all, she barely even seemed to notice. I actually believe that attachment to bricks and mortar is something that develops with age.

It is indeed about your relationship, and your attitudes. 

Good luck! Let us know how it goes.