The bright and bubbly eight-year-old said she wanted to move schools.

“I thought I needed a bit of a change,” she explained.

While Audrey had friends at her independent school and liked her teachers, the creative child struggled with its pace and focus on academic achievement.

“They were just throwing stuff at me,” she said, stretching out her arms to illustrate the amount of homework she had to complete.

Initially, Audrey’s parents thought their daughter’s request to move schools was just a phase. Perhaps she was having trouble with friends? Maybe she’d just had a few bad days?

But Audrey’s pleas to move school persisted for six months. During this time she became tired, a little anxious and started resenting homework.

Hoping to rule out moving schools, Audrey’s mother, Sophie Lyall, reluctantly booked the family into a tour of independent alternative school Preshil.

“I said, ‘We need to nip this in the bud; there’s no way we’re moving schools,' ” Ms Lyall recalled.

However, as the family strolled through the Kew school’s grand old buildings and rambling gardens, it became apparent that Audrey had found her perfect fit.

“She ended up in the classroom with the kids, making lanterns,” Ms Lyall said. “That was a really telling sign. She felt right at home.”

Almost half of Victorian students change primary or secondary schools at least once, with bullying, unmet needs, friendship breakdowns and house moves fuelling the churn. Other families change schools in pursuit of an education better suited to their children.

But knowing when, and whether, to go ahead with this major decision can be excruciating.

Dr Christine Grove, Monash University researcher and educational psychologist, urges parents to raise concerns with their current school before taking action.

She advises them to then wait for about a term, and if there are no improvements, consider moving.

“Often a school may not be aware that something is going on and they could potentially have the resources to address some of the concerns you have,” Dr Grove said.

While changing schools is often the only option for an unhappy child, Dr Grove said parents also needed to help their children build resilience.

She said bullying, a lack of support for students’ learning needs and not getting along with teachers and peers were the most common triggers for moving schools.

When Ms Lyall told other families her daughter was moving school she was called courageous.

She suspects many parents avoid moving schools because their sense of identity and social connections are entwined in their child’s schools.

The social media specialist doesn’t have a bad word to say about Audrey’s former school, which her eldest daughter still attends.

“It suits some kids, but not others,” she said.

According to Dr Jae Yup Jared Jung, from the University of NSW, parents should consider moving schools when students’ achievements don’t match their potential.

Dr Jung’s research focuses on gifted students, a group who may need to move schools because their needs aren't being met.

Some gifted students will “dumb down” for peer acceptance.

“They feel they must make a choice between achieving academic success and gaining the acceptance of peers,” he said. “If students chose the latter, some parents may choose to change the schools.”

It’s now been a year since Audrey moved schools.

The now nine-year-old said she learns better at Preshil, which draws on Montessori, Steiner and Reggio Emilia educational philosophies and also the work of Sir Ken Robinson and John Hattie.

Children learn at their own pace, and if Audrey needs a break, she can leave class to pet the school rabbits.

“They make learning much more fun,” she said. “It feels like you’re going on an adventure.”