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3 questions about moving from Ireland to UK

17 replies

dublinmom · 04/03/2013 21:07

ha ha actually I have a thousand questions but thanks to the internet and mumsnet I'm figuring out most things. But can anyone help me with these questions:

  1. DS is 7 in May so he'll be in Year 3 in September. I see that means he'll miss the Key Stage 1 exam. Does that matter? Do I need to find a way for him to take it? Will they make him take it in September?


  1. DD is 9 in August. In Dublin she started school at 5 instead of 4, so by school years she's completed she would be in Year 4, but by her birth date she'll be in Year 5, which it looks like the school will insist on. Is there any place I can get some catching-up material for what she'll miss in Year 4?


  1. We're moving in July, and could concievably be in our new town for the last week of school. I had planned on not sending the kids to their new schools until September, but is there any benefit in sending them that week in July? (the school we like best is our catchment area but full, if we get one of the kids in for this year would it make it more likely to get siblings in for September)?
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ThreeBeeOneGee · 04/03/2013 21:17
  1. No, I don't think it'll matter that the seven year old hasn't done KS1 SATs. My children moved from an infant school to a junior school between Y2 and Y3, and the junior school did their own assessments in the September.


  1. I have twins currently in Y4. I think that if you concentrate on her times tables, reading comprehension and spelling etc, that will stand her in good stead for Y5. Maths, reading and writing build on previous knowledge, so the more confident she is in these, the better.


  1. Once you get one child in, the other one will be given priority on the waiting list as sibling rule usually comes higher than distance rule in admissions criteria. I can't see the benefit of sending them in for the last week of Y2 / Y4 when it wouldn't be the teachers or the classrooms that they would have in September.
dublinmom · 04/03/2013 21:27

Great, thanks. The 8 year old hasn't done any times tables so maybe I will look into that. Reading is fine except her teacher isn't keen on children getting ahead of the others Confused so she's been doing quite simple reading books. What books are your Y4 twins reading? Maybe if i tell her 'this is what kids are reading in England' it will inspire DD.

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ThreeBeeOneGee · 04/03/2013 21:39

With times tables, it's good for her to know them inside out and back to front, including the related division facts. For example, to know that 6 x 4 = 24 and 4 x 6 = 24 and 24 / 6 = 4 and 24 / 4 = 6.

Start with 2x 5x and 10x.
When she's really confident with those, do 3x and 4x.
Then the others.

DD and DS3 (the ones in Y4) have to do weekly speed tests of random multiplication and division facts.

Spellings: the schools in the UK are quite hot on spelling, punctuation and grammar at the moment. This week, mine are learning words with the -ible and -able suffix (which words keep the 'e' and which don't.

Reading: DD is reading 'Lily' by Holly Webb. She also likes the Sky Horses series by Linda Chapman. There's a big craze at school for reading the Guinness Book of Records, which is annoying as it's a huge book that they all lug to and fro.

Sticklebug · 04/03/2013 21:49

My DS (yr 4) is adding Warrior Cats, Enid Blyton and Wimpy kid books. Also lots of focus on times tables

Sticklebug · 04/03/2013 21:50

That should of read 'reading', not 'adding'

dublinmom · 04/03/2013 22:17

ok. yikes. They've done absolutely no times tables here at all. We had better get on that. And the spelling as well. She's a good speller but we haven't had to do those suffixes or anything like as tricky as them. She's been reading Mr Gum, Judy Moody, I saw her with something by Gwyneth Rees. Does those seem right? (From school she comes back with Magic Treehouse and other books she probably could have read 2 years ago.)

DD is in second class here (the equivalent of year 3) but it's mixed with the year below, and this has got me thinking they've been aiming at the younger kids rather than the older.

Hmm some extra lessons at home I guess. That won't be pretty- we are not a great teacher/learner team, as I recall from potty training her, teaching her to write her name, ride a bike, etc...

Is there a place that says what children are supposed to know by the end of each year? I'm most concerned about DD since she'll be skipping a year, but also DS who would be in Year2 in the UK, and DD who would be in Reception.

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CointreauVersial · 04/03/2013 22:25

SATs in Y2 are to measure the school, so it will not make the slightest difference for the child if they haven't been taken.

I would ask the school whether they think it is worth your DCs going in for a few days in July. It depends if they can easily accommodate them, but I'm sure they would be happy to.

ThreeBeeOneGee · 05/03/2013 07:22

Mr Gum and Judy Moody sound perfect. That's exactly the sort of thing the Y4s at my children's school are reading.

ThreeBeeOneGee · 05/03/2013 07:28

The school should differentiate the work, so in one class, some children would be given one piece of work, others a simpler piece and others would be given a more challenging piece. She should be given work that's the right level for her, so she won't just be left to struggle.

I think that learning some multiplication and division facts would really help, but don't feel that you have to embark on a programme of intense tutoring for the next four months! Grin

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 05/03/2013 07:34

Y4 DS reading Mr Gum here too. Enid Blyton also popular.

dublinmom · 05/03/2013 09:41

I know the school will support her, and she will catch up eventually (she's not exceedingly clever but she does well and as the eldest child she's a pretty diligent worker!).

It's more the emotional side of it-- such a big move for us and lots of things will be different. For example, right now our kids eat packed lunches at their desks. And only stay in school until 2 pm. And there's only 13 in her year, 90 in the whole school. So I don't want her to go through all the changes of moving to a new country and new school then sit down in class and feel confused and upset when it's time for maths and she has no idea about multiplication.

I think we will do some gentle extra work, a bit of online games and maybe a times table cd, just to intorduce it to her. Maths aren't my strong point either so I will have to concentrate on making sure we have fun.

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ThreeBeeOneGee · 05/03/2013 14:29
ThreeBeeOneGee · 05/03/2013 14:30
dublinmom · 06/03/2013 19:33

Thanks everyone. I got one of those DK sticker workbooks just to introduce it- and it turns out she does already know some multiplication, the 2's and 3's and 10's at least. She never had any multiplication for homework so I assumed they hadn't started it! Will get her onto those websites,too, though, just to help her catch up. Thanks

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shebird · 06/03/2013 21:11

I am sure they will be on par with their English classmates of the same age so don't worry although it is always worth getting up to speed with tables etc. Good luck with the move :)

AnnandBarryAgain · 06/03/2013 23:35

Maybe ask her current teacher for some things to help make a memory book for when she moves? pictures of classmates, old school, that kind of thing.

No more Irish :) maybe that will be a good thing ?!!
Less homework, spellings weekly not daily, and in one language only. She can still have packed lunches, just not at her desk.

Good luck with the move!

dublinmom · 07/03/2013 13:49

Ha ha, yes I did wonder about saying to her teacher 'Every time you do an Irish lesson, could you just give DD some multiplication to do instead?' but I guess that wouldn't go over too well!

I do hope the children rememebr some of their Irish but it will be hard to reinforce it as I can hardly remember the words for things myself.

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