Applying for secondary school places from abroad

The school/council don’t care about her academic ability and they aren’t setting her up to fail. They’re applying their standard criteria and not allowing a child to take a place who isn’t living in the country.

You’ll need to wait til you’re back in the uk then apply and hope you get a place in a school you like. If the good schools are oversubscribed she could end up at one you don’t like.

If you can afford private that’s probably a safer bet if you can find somewhere with space as they are more likely to allow you to secure a place ahead of time.

OP I would also consider a private school - or maybe even sitting exams as a privately entered candidate.

If she has been studying for iGCSEs, you need to know (you may already know of course) that the majority of English state schools do not do these; and the syllabi are different.

My subject is MFL, which you would think was fairly universal, but if a student had worked towards iGCSE and then tried to sit AQA GCSE, it might be unnecessarily challenging. AQA GCSE has translation from and to target language; edexcel iGCSE does not. AQA has some questions in English; iGCSE has them all in TL; iGCSE has a grammar task that is not in GCSE. GCSE has a much longer essay question with less support (only two bullet points). GCSE is tiered so the F tier is relatively easy but the H tier is challenging; iGCSE is not tiered, so the questions range from easier to harder and IMO it is overall easier for a really able student.

What I am trying to say is that most schools will have been teaching translation from year 7, but your DD probably won't have done that as it's not on the exam she is working to.

This will be multiplied by many times in other subjects - different topics in history, different texts in English, different aspects covered or expected in science and maths.

If I were you I would make every effort to keep her where she is tbh; failing that, I woudl try to find a school that will take her in year 10; failing that (would probably need to be private school) I would enter her privately for the iGCSEs she has studied towards, paying for some tutoring if needed. She could still go to the local school I guess.

Sorry for long post but I fear some people (not saying you OP!) don't understand the skills and knowledge of exam technique needed (and think that "speaking French" is enough to get them a high pass at GCSE or even A level.

If she's already on year 10 of IGCSE, just look at independent schools, many offer igcses as they are able to and the testing timeline is easier, so she will just be able to enter at y11 and do well, as is apparently normal for her.

I'm confused. You're coming back next summer but applying now? Or do you mean you're coming back this summer? As in a couple of months?

State schools won't accept an application till you're back in the uk and at your uk address.

Going into year 11 though is madness, particularly with the year we've had. Private would probably take her into the year below though. Which gives her a good chance of decent grades.

You will not be offered a place at a U.K. state school without living in the U.K. unless, as a pp has said, you are returning military or a member of the civil service who has been stationed abroad. You need to move back and then apply.

I do think you are nuts though.

They aren't trying to damage her education, or stop her achieving anything. Unless she is actually resident (and even exchanged contracts on a property isn't sufficient in our borough) they simply cannot consider her. Get on the phone to the authority admissions if possible, or email them.

You may even find at that point in her schooling that none of the private, never mind state schools you'd want have spaces available. Are you planning ahead for sixth form yet too? You should.

Be aware that unless you are returning military or qualifying civil servant, admissions authorities do not have to accept or prochess applications from DC who are not resident in the UK.

Once she is in the country, the LA has a duty to find her a place within a reasonable time (that can however take a few weeks)

If a school has a vacancy, they have to accept her. If no school within a reasonable distance has a place, then the LA is obliged to activate the Fair Access Protocol (FAP) to force a school over numbers as she shouid not be left without a place. This will however be at the school the LA judges can best accommodate an extra, and will not necessarily be one of your preferences.

Moving in year 11 is madness. Can you not come back this summer into year 10 would make so much more sense and give you so many more options. Even if it means leaving DH or part of the family back in USA for a year or what about boarding school for year 10 this year for DD. Maybe choose one close to home so she could switch to a day pupil in year 11.

You might be better off looking at independent options - most will happily put her into Y10 instead of 11, will guarantee you a place even though you’re not in the country (unlike state schools where you need to be in the U.K. to apply for a place unless you are a CS employee), and work with you on curriculum gaps.

I know it may not be possible financially but would definitely be the most stress free option!

She will not be able to get a definite place in a state school whilst living abroad, just as a child cannot get a place if they live in a different area of the UK especially where the school may already be full.

It's possible you may have better luck with a sympathetic school that runs 2 year gcse courses putting her back to year 10? She will have missed half the gcse content otherwise and most schools would be reluctant to admit at that point; it's setting her up to fail in some ways.

Is your daughter in an international school in the states?