Education Question - Secondary School

chevalier

I have a 10.5 year old and a 13 year old. We are thinking about returning to the UK so that they start school in September 2015.

Could someone please tell me what years they will be in at school? The younger one is born in December and the older one in June.

What is bothering me is that the older one will have to go back straight into picking his GCSE'S, but I am not sure hence the question.
chev

ciderwithrosie_2

Your younger one will go into year 7 (first year of secondary school usually, unless at a middle school) and your older one will go into year 10. They will have already chosen their GCSE options towards the end of year 9.


Sorry, I had to edit as I read it as September this year at first.

Shushannah

chevalier wrote: »

I have a 10.5 year old and a 13 year old. We are thinking about returning to the UK so that they start school in September 2015.

Could someone please tell me what years they will be in at school? The younger one is born in December and the older one in June.

What is bothering me is that the older one will have to go back straight into picking his GCSE'S, but I am not sure hence the question.
chev

The younger one will start in yr 7 (first yr secondary) the older one if he is turning 14 this June he will be starting in yr 11 at least halfway through GCSEs if next June he will start in yr 10. Be aware that many schools start some GCSEs in yr 9, so you might need to contact the school about this.
I moved back in a July which allowed us to contact school before they broke up and allowed our kids to mix with their potential friends before the summer hols.
Good Luck

balletshoes

it depends - are you coming back to England? Scotland certainly has different school years compared to England, not sure about Wales or NI.

tyllwyd

As the other posters have said, it makes a big difference whether your 13 year old turned 13 earlier this month, or whether he will be 14 this month. My DD is in school in England, and she started year 10 as a 14 year old. In her school, she chose GCSE subjects during year 9, and started studying for them in year 10 to sit them in year 11 - some schools do enter them for some GCSEs earlier, but I think the government got a bit grumpy about that recently, so it is less common now than it was a few years ago.

Also, although she won't sit exams until next summer, she has already done some controlled assessments for subjects like English in year 10 - if your son isn't studying in the UK, and starts from scratch in year 11, he might find he is very behind in comparison to his classmates. If that's the case, I think you might be better off thinking about alternatives - get him to home study for iGCSEs, or delay coming back until a year later when he has qualifications from the country where you are now.

Also, if your younger child will be starting secondary school, have you any idea of what area/school you might be hoping for? Because the admissions process in England for September 2015 will start in autumn 2014, so if you don't apply until summer 2015 you might find that the schools you were looking at are completely full.

chevalier

Hi thanks for all the replies.

It is likely that we will be coming back to England. And to maybe Devon, Somerset, Warwickshire or Buckinghamshire. Does anyone know if Warwickshire and Buckinghamshire are still grammar? And taking the 12+ rather than the 11+

My older DS has just turned 13 in the last month. So he will be 14 when/ if we come back next year.

Also I am assuming that schools still have zones where you have to be to get in?

chev

fredtheguava

http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/secondaryschool

http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/education/schools/admissions-and-moving-school/admission-to-secondary-schools/key-dates/

Google knows.

flipper_72

Warwickshire is definitely 11+ now as is Bucks. Yes there are zones fr schools and the grammars have a lot of competition to get into, just passing the 11+ isn't usually enough to get in. There is an 11+ forum http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/11plus/index.php where you will probably get more answers about 11+.

Spendless

tyllwyd wrote: »

Also, if your younger child will be starting secondary school, have you any idea of what area/school you might be hoping for? Because the admissions process in England for September 2015 will start in autumn 2014, so if you don't apply until summer 2015 you might find that the schools you were looking at are completely full.

Yep agree with this, my workmate is moving towns and the LA where she's moving to refused to let her apply or appeal until she's actually moved. She's buying a new build and the completion date was moved back 8 weeks, way after the deadline date for admissions to be in. Her child is currently 96th on the waiting list. He'll move up that list once she's moved into the new town, but unless she's very close to the top and someone drops out, she won't be getting him in.

My daughter's friend is in a similar situation, she has a place at the nearby Secondary but her Mum moved in the last easter hols and the now walking distance away Secondary from her new home is full.

I have no idea how the admission process works in the case of Grammar schools as we don't live in an area that has them, but I'd make enquiries now.