Relocating back to the UK

This might help give you some things to research https://www.senschoolsguide.com/find-sen-schools

Children who have been homeschooled often suffer culture shock when they try school.

English secondary mainstream school in particular, if you are joining at a non standard time and they are not coming from another secondary school they are likely to struggle socially.

A lot of the friendship groups will be very well established. There is very little tolerance for students who don't have the right uniform/PE kit on the right day/have not got their pencil case either from the teachers or from the other students.

If your children have never studied any subjects other than maths/english/science they are likely to flounder in a Spanish/history/textiles class.

Are you really sure this is what you want to do? It doesn't sound like they are well-prepared for a range of GCSEs and while secondary schools are sometimes amenable to dropping one or two and letting the student access additional support in maths or English this sounds more like you would want a part time timetable which is going to be much more difficult to arrange.

You might be better off looking into home Ed collectives that you can access. Cambridge, for example, has a strong home Ed community and many classes that you can access.

Maths, English and Science would be 5 or 6 gcses. Do they read widely, have any interest in history, religion or philosophy/ethics? Don't underestimate the social differences between them and their peers in UK, it could take a while to settle and orientate themselves. Have they visited UK for holiday periods?

Do they have a tutor now or are you homeschooling and have been for how long? Any subjects beyond the core ones, do they know the language of wherever you are living, does he have any formal art tuition now?

Your property budget is tight. However I would look up StAlbans in Hertfordshire - I heard it's a pretty town and the schools are very good.

i would really suggest you avoid Lewes in Sussex with a kid who needs extra support in secondary school. I won’t say any more as it would be too outing and I don’t want PMs but seriously, don’t do it!

As well as websites being as good as their PR department rather than anything to do with real life!!

Honestly lots of schools will have really good art departments. In my fairly average area all the secondary schools within range do. We looked at them all at open evenings.

There is also Saturday art courses at the uni for kids. But noone would have moved to my area "for the art".

I think choising an area to live based on an art department honestly might be misguided.

Where is your sister? which side of London? Where did you grow up/wte familiar with?

There's honestly so many schools in each area that unless going private it makes little sense to be looking at individual schools first.

I would also point you in the direction of the British Expats Returning to the U.K. Facebook group - unbelievable amount of help and support. We moved back 2 years ago it helped so much having people who’d been through it to help

Others have explained it well about the subjects at GCSE @GreenYellowTurtle tho Eng lit and Eng lang are separate GCSEs, not a double award. All schools require both of those plus maths and science, science being either two or three GCSEs.

I agree some schools still insist on one humanity and one MFL, but others do not - it's not ideal if they do IMHO but it does at least mean a balance of subjects.

But overall he would expect to be able to sit GCSEs in:
Maths
Eng lang
Eng lit
Science x 2 or 3
History or geography
MFL perhaps if appropriate (has he been learning one? if not schools will probably not expect him to take this from scratch)
1, 2 or 3 more subjects. Usual total of GCSEs is 8-9-10
These could be art, technology such as food or textiles or DT, drama, RE, computer science, another humanity. Bc of his dyslexia and other SEN, plus arriving here in year 9/10, school may be able to offer a reduced curriculum where he sits maybe 6-7 GCSEs - so the top 5 compulsories and then a couple more of his choosing. I wouldn't worry too much about subjects and the Ebacc.

I would honestly agree with a PP - find a suitable area (even if quite broad) and establish if a school that would appeal in that area has space. How quickly can you move here?

If you can narrow down the area MN-ers will for sure have school suggestions. Trouble is that good schools may well not have space - the council is not obliged to pffer a space at xyz school, just at a school.

At 14, legally he has to do another 2 years of school. He will take his GCSEs in the May/June. Depending on his birthday, he will either take his GCSEs at 16 having turned 16 between September and the exams, or aged 15, being about to turn 16 between the exams and the 31st of August the same year.

Until after his exams you cannot consider a college, he must be in school. Unless he is to be part of an early college transfer program because it has been recognised by the local authority that he is unable to continue at school and needs to have other provision.

In terms of subjects - they NEED to do English Language, Maths and Science. Typically a school will expect him to do 8-10 GCSEs,

• Maths
• Science (which is often either a double award, or 3 GCSE in Biology, Chemistry and Physics)
• English (often a double award - Literature/Language)

Often there will be blocks of subjects with the same banner heading, and each student will have to chose something from each block. Often they won't be able to timetable students doing more than one subject from the same block. Blocks are typically

• Humanities (either combined or History, Sociology, Geography)
• Modern Foreign Languages
• Art (maybe, painting & Drawing, photography, Dance, Drama)
• Design Technology (woodwork, childcare, food technology)

So in England in mainstream schools there are compulsory GCSEs and then choices

Compulsory:
English literature and language
Maths
Double Science (this is all three sciences but gets you two GCSEs)

Schools then impose their own requirements - a school may make another GCSE compulsory (often RE in a religious school) or insist on an MFL (modern foreign language).
Most schools can't offer completely free choice for timetabling reasons.

If a student is of exceptionally low ability in some cases they do not necessarily need to sit the GCSEs but they will study the subjects.