Telling school we are moving abroad

Good luck in your new location taylorsweet

We DID need reports to get into school here (middle east).

Always worth finding out what is needed. NZ suits us because everything is much more laid back than we expect.

@Homebird8 - the statutory guidance I just checked with to refresh my memory is dated September 2016, so it probably has changed since you moved.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/550416/Children_Missing_Education_-_statutory_guidance.pdf

I too would recommend getting translated and attested school reports and documentation before leaving. Schools often ask for 2/3 years of reports for their admissions procedures.

The school has a statutory duty to notify the local authority when removing a child from the register and provide certain information- this includes the child’s new address and new school ‘where applicable’. The school and local authority also have a joint responsibility to make ‘reasonable enquiries’ to establish the child’s whereabouts. So they have to ask the questions, but they don’t necessarily have to be answered by you.

That makes sense RustyBear. I think the process must have tightened up since 2011. I was never asked any questions but thought it was so bonkers that there wasn’t a system I covered my own back by writing to the head teachers to explain. I never formally removed the DCs from the register but maybe my letter saying ‘thanks for everything, we’re off to pastures new’ did the job.

Are you actually going to finish the school year here? In which case you will get the end of year report as normal, and then fly out.

I'm pretty certain "educated in Brazil" will do - or just give them the name of the school in the small town you have no intention sending her to. I'm 99% certain they won't be contacting them! And if they do, you changed your mind as it wasn't suitable. We did have visas for a country no-one visits, but noone asked for them. I wrote a letter to the head, had a chat to him (he was a very hands on head, and could be found in the school yard most mornings and afternoons), and we walked out of school on the last day with books, and a printout of attendance that year (had a very recent report, so didnt ask for that, and we were primary).

We DID need reports to get into school here (middle east). Attested as well. Might be worth checking if the Brazilian school need attested reports, because that is MUCH easier to do from the uk before you fly!

The school has a statutory duty to notify the local authority when removing a child from the register and provide certain information- this includes the child’s new address and new school ‘where applicable’. The school and local authority also have a joint responsibility to make ‘reasonable enquiries’ to establish the child’s whereabouts. So they have to ask the questions, but they don’t necessarily have to be answered by you. The school would probably then complete a risk assessment for the LA, which would include all the information they have about the move and it would be up to the Children Missing Education officer to investigate if necessary.

As far as the educational record is concerned, I would expect the old school to upload the child’s Common Transfer File to the searchable area on the school2school system, so that it can be found later. Maintained schools must do this, academies are ‘strongly encouraged’ to, so if the current school is an academy you may want to check they will do this.

The school I used to work at has done this in the past for children moving abroad with no school arranged at the time of the move. When we were contacted by the school the child eventually joined, we would refer them to the local authority, so I’m not sure how that part of the process works, but the records won’t just disappear.

I could have done the job offer and entry visas but we didn’t sell our UK house until years later and hadn’t got more than a hotel booking in NZ. I doubt school would be interested in seeing an overseas visa or hearing about my interview process.

I’d just throw her in the deep end too taylorsweet. She already has a basic grasp of the language. Immersion is going to teach her faster and she’ll make friends and settle more easily too. Let her take a look at the schools and have an input into which she prefers.

I agree that you should also find out whether you are allowed to home educate in Brazil. Don’t break the law in your new country, not a good start!

I was thinking about one way tickets, rental agreement termination / house sale / house renting out agreement / job offer in new location etc.

They aren't going to a country 'at risk' of forced marriages. She has citizenship of Brazil. A bit of evidence to substantiate the move would satisfy many reasonable people I would think.

I also think your DD should start her new school immediately, with after school support from a tutor. She will adjust much faster and better than if you tutor her at home for a few months.

showing proof of the whole family upping sticks and moving will quite probably satisfy UK paperwork bods

Not sure how you could even do that.

I agree with Teen. I also suspect the rule is unenforceable.

I suspect this rule is in place to stop overseas forced/underage marriages for UK girls, particularly in India/Pakistan etc. So showing proof of the whole family upping sticks and moving will quite probably satisfy UK paperwork bods.

I don’t think the UK government has jurisdiction over British children who have permanently relocated abroad. The rules of the host country will apply to your DD’s education in future, especially since she is a citizen of her new country. You do need to make sure that you are not falling foul of Brazilian legislation. Unfortunately it is not just up to you to do what you feel is best for your DD.

We didn’t find a new school for our DCs until we arrived in NZ so it wouldn’t have been possible to provide details on leaving the UK.

Nobody is going to stop you at the airport and ask if you have full education records on your person for your DD

Presumably the Brazilian school system is not the same as the British one. Your DDs records may not be necessary or useful to the new school whenever you enrol her. Go without the records and then request them from the old school when or if you need them.

As far as school records are concerned I asked the UK school to provide some and they said to take the DCs exercise books. The new school in NZ said they preferred to make their own assessment as the DCs settled in and wouldn’t even look at the books. They certainly didn’t want reports and records from the UK school.

I got medical records printed out in the UK and gave them to the new GP in NZ. If I could do that then a school should be able to hand over any records to you as a parent to be handed on or not as necessary.
Probably just the school not knowing what to do in the circumstances and making it up as they go along.

Have you explained it to the current school? I think the term for “home schooling” used to be “educated otherwise” or something, indicating that they were receiving an education outside of a traditional school setting. You could always claim you were educating her in other subjects.

When we moved to NZ I asked the UK school what forms I needed to fill in and they said there weren’t any. I couldn’t take the DCs out of school for a day without it being unjustified but I could take them out of the country forever without there being any process for it.

In the end I wrote a letter to the school explaining so that there was a paper trail in case I ever needed to explain to anyone. I didn’t have to prove the DCs were to be educated in NZ. And they only had British citizenship.

It’s possible that there are now rules that weren’t in existence in 2011 but if the child is resident in another country I would think that the UK can’t expect to have a handle on what is going on. They don’t with children in the UK who are home educated after all. Who told you that you needed to give the UK this proof, and who in the UK is it you are told to give it to?

I would get her enrolled in school as soon as you can and forget about the tutor. At,her age she needs to be making friends and her language skills will improve far more by hearing language used at at school than being 1-1 with a tutor. By all means get someone in at the weekend to work on written skills and grammar but poor girl, can you imagine what being 1-1 with someone everyday is like? Very stressful, intense and not very productive. I would also get hold of some films /songs in the language if you haven't already got them and play those now before you go, you have to tune into a language before you start to hear it