I'm sure we are not the first to do this although it feels like it.
Our 3 children are currently in years 8,9 and 11 and their ages translate to S1, S3 and S5 which may be ok but feels a bit odd.
The yr 8 (S1) is currently at a grammar school which don't exist in scotland - will he still be pushed (which he seems to like!)? Latin?!
The yr 9 (S3) will go into S4 where Scotland is starting a whole new qualification which may not be great and she will leave after only 3 years whereas she would get 4 more years in England.
The yr 11, being half way through A levels may have to stay here (!! she wants to come with us) Can an AS level can continue as an advanced higher instead of A2??!! Highers seem much more common than advanced highers but will english unis be happy with just highers?
I can do all the practical stuff - moving house, selling, buying making friends but when we moved around before it was when they were small! We did all the education decisions/discussions at yr 6 so starting now with a totally different system feels very daunting.
Any help and information at all would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.
Secondary education
we are moving to Aberdeen from england and the secondary education is sooo different
olderworkingmum · 15/11/2012 11:09
Because of the difference in cut-off dates, sometimes Scottish schools will accept the number of years schooling rather than pure age - have you talked to the school/Education Department yet? We are more flexible regarding age (but bizarrely, once you've started, less flexible).
S1 is not the equivalent of Y8 - it is the equivalent of Y7. (The difference starts at P1 which is the equivalent of Reception; we also have different cut-off dates, between March and February - plus the ability to truly defer the child turns 5 after August in practice only January, February and maybe December kids might defer).
So ds, who was 12 in September (born 2000) is in S1 and is in the young half of the year, despite technically being slap bang in the middle, as some of the "youngest" kids were held back and only started in the same year as him (one of his friends in the same year will turn 13 in December - but another one, whose parents chose not to defer him, will turn 12 in February).
The S2 (Year 8) child will be doing Curriculum for Excellence, which is still sorting itself out. Don't know the detail but most schools still seem to be choosing their subjects at the end of S2.
The S4 (Year 9) child will be doing (the last year of) Standard grades I think. These are broadly equivalent to GCSEs.
The Year 11 (S5), midway through A levels kid could probably sit Highers - but we tend to sit more - so you'd probably find the AS Levels similar. We tend to sit most Highers in S5 and then maybe do a few more in S6 or some Advanced Highers (or even 
A Levels). That's what the universities prefer anyway. It means a lot of work in S5 - but it is possible to go to Uni at the end of S5.
I got a conditional acceptance from an English Uni (Leeds) for my Higher results - but chose not to go there (went to St Andrews instead - at the end of S5) - but that was many years ago. One of my school friends went to Cambridge to study medicine and the others went to Glasgow to do medicine - they all stayed on to do S6 but were given unconditional acceptances on the basis of their Higher results.
Re the Latin - it depends on the school, as Latin teacher are getting in short supply. Ds' school taught Latin until last year and I'd have made encouraged him to take it but unfortunately the teacher retired and they've not been able to find a replacement. Instead he is learning a 2nd MFL (Spanish this year - if he'd started next year it would have been German as they alternate years) over and above the French he had already started at primary school.
I was lazy too, mine is a C and I spent the rest of the sixth year in the Art Dept doing my Portfolio ( they don't let you have such an empty time table now).
Surely they must be a bit more flexible about different qualifications now as they have so many overseas students.
I think the kids I know who have got in probably have straight A's at Advanced Highers, as well as nice posh accents and much polished personal statements.
My own kids will be going local if at all 
.
I was lazy too, mine is a C and I spent the rest of the sixth year in the Art Dept doing my Portfolio ( they don't let you have such an empty time table now).
Surely they must be a bit more flexible about different qualifications now as they have so many overseas students.
I think the kids I know who have got in probably have straight A's at Advanced Highers, as well as nice posh accents and much polished personal statements.
My own kids will be going local if at all .
As I've mentioned, I was accepted from S5 to do Languages at Leeds Uni (ie on the basis of projected Higher results) although I chose to go to St Andrews instead. I got (easily) the results required for both the English and Scottish Unis. But that was a loooong time ago 
. One of my school mates went to Cambridge.
At the (state) school ds has just started at has had a number of students recently go to Oxbridge. Although they did S6, they actually got unconditional acceptances on the basis of their S5 (Higher) results - and presumably judging them by what subjects they were then choosing to do Advanced Highers in.
As in England, it's also what else the kid is doing that helps the university acceptances - things like Duke of Edinburgh Gold awards.
I never did DofE (or anything like it). I mentioned it 'cos ds' school started doing it a couple of years ago (...but was getting kids into Oxbridge/RG/"old" Unis before then 
).
Didn't even "do" Guides or sports. The most "organised" activity I did was play the flute in a concert band and ballet.
I deliberately didn't apply to any of the Glasgow Unis as I (and my parents) was determined to leave home for Uni. Didn't want to risk only being accepted by a "local" Uni.
Went "home" at most, once a term - St Andrews could get a bit claustrophobic.
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