change school / schools

[heyt]

Hello,

Could you tell me whether I should use school or schools in these sentences?

I changed primary school when we moved away.
OR:
I changed primary schools when we moved away.

I changed school five times when I was a child.
OR:
I changed schools five times when I was a child.

Thank you,
heyt

[SoothingDave]

I would use "schools."

[heyt]

Thank you!

[5jj]

In BrE, 'school' is common.

[BobK]

I'm not fussed either way! There are idioms that favour a plural or a singluar with certain nouns; changing your ideas is either 'changing tack*' (singular) or 'changing horses [plural] in mid-stream', but 'school' is not number-sensitive in this way.

b

PS * In the context of 'horses' (which you're about to read on the next line), you might be tempted to try to make sense of this in terms of bridles and stirrups and reins and things. But this usage refers to a sailing boat having the wind on one side or the other ('port/starboard tack')

[albertino]

(Not a teacher)
In my opinion, "change school" is an idiomatic usage.
Here, "school" has been changed from its physical sense to abstract one, so it is uncountable.