Is private Y9 state Y10 possible ice age 14 DS?

And local authorities do not deal with independent schools, you would need to contact any of those yourselves. Not sure what your finances are like but housing and fees in that area are expensive, even by South East England standards.

Hi OP, it's not the the local authorities are difficult , it's just that they can't really help you until you have an address. I hope it all works out well for you all.

I think you'll struggle to get a Y9 place in a good state school in Guildford this September. I know the year group and it's a very large one so you may only be offered schools which are "less sought after" - you can read into that but I don't want to start naming individual schools! It may be less tricky for the year above which I know isn't ideal but you may need to weigh up year group against the school you'd be offered.

I would look at the train line that runs from Guildford out to Portsmouth. Easy route to get into Guildford for your dd, or commuting into London for work. If you look at the stations south of Guildford there are lots of towns and villages in Surrey and Hampshire with good schools that you could use as a base and may not be as over subscribed as Guildford itself. You could speak with the local authorities of each area about which schools have spaces and whether your ds could drop down a year due to language issues and a July birthday making him very young in the year group.

For private I would suggest you look at Box Hill near Leatherhead. Not as academic as some, but follows IB and has international pupils, so possibly more flexible to your circumstances.

I'm doubtful he would get a place at a Guildford private school or nearby for year 9 now unless you have already applied. These are allocated well in advance and are competitive entry. Does your dd have a confirmed place at Uni of Surrey? Most students live on campus for first year or commute so would not base yourself close by just for that.

Surrey LA may allow you to apply a short while in advance of a move if you have proof of a local address. You need to look at the In Year application process. However they are not known for flexibility. Where in Surrey are you considering? Bear in mind popular local schools may be "full" and although you could appeal it will only delay things further. Would you be happy for your ds to travel a distance to school? It would be disruptive to move again pre gcse - the syllabus, exam board and order of teaching topics varies from one to another. Is your ds in a British curriculum school at present?

Some schools are going back to a 2 year GCSE course now, because OFSTED don't like the way the curriculum narrows with a 3 year GCSE programme.

It would be best to find a school that does GCSEs from year 10 and move in year 9 to pick up the language.

[quote Woonang]@Postapocalypticcowgirl
Yes, 2 years backward may be too much even for the child. Will try to use the excuse suggested by @UserAtRandom to apply for Yr 9. By the way, can I apply for private Y9 as back up?[/quote]
Yes.

Discuss it with the school in advance. I believe the school I work for (UK, state) would consider placement out of year in this circumstance, but only one year below the year they should be in- if that makes sense?

We do have a very small number of students placed out of year within school for various reasons. We would not allow a placement of two years below their age group as it would cause issues with being able to complete a college course/ A-levels in the state system.

I wouldnt move schools for Y10, after only one year in the first school so would go with whatever school you can get access to when you arrive, and continue there until the end of Y11.

Is there anyway you can get here for early September with your son? Starting a new school year at the start, especially if you are allocated Y10, would make a big difference.

FWIW, we applied for mid year transfer 3 days before we flew into the UK, were offered places THAT DAY, and could have started on the following Monday morning. Some councils can move quickly. Most insist you are physically here, but if you will accept the school you are given, however unpopular, it can be way less than a month.

I’m in Surrey

So your child moved to Y8 at state school at that time?

It wasn't my child (so I can't tell you the details of what happened). When my DS was in Year 8, a boy started in his year group who could only speak limited English and should have been put into Year 10 on the basis of age. The reason given (to the rest of the year) was that the boy had been put into Year 8 as the school started GCSE work in Year 9 and it was clear he would be unable to access it as his English was not strong enough.

The boy stayed in DS's year group and ended up taking GCSEs 2 years later than his age group peers.

I would also try to get him to start in year 9 at the schook where he is going to be doing his GCSEs. As his birthday is in July he is regarded as ‘summer born’. This can give more options when making a request to be educated out of cohort. (My knowledge of being out of year group is based on children starting school at 5 not 4) but secondary schools should be aware of other summer born children being educated out of cohort - you will have to persuade the admissions authority too. Can I ask what part of the UK you are coming to? Different regions have slightly different policies surrounding this.

Three terms per year for school fee totals