Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Yr10 DD's school closing - please help me think it through.

81 replies

TheCheeseTax · 23/04/2026 21:29

My girl is Y10 at an independent school. It's sadly closing at the end of the academic year.

DD has autism, diagnosed, but does well. She's academic, strong, stubborn. She loves hard and has friends. She is quirky, can come across as aloof.

We are considering school, both private and state. But here's the thing - we can't find anywhere which matches her current subject's boards exactly.

The school we'd like to send her to has her friends there and more will likely
join. But none, not one, of the subjects match the current board.

Our boys' school matches the subject spec for only 1 bit at least she'd have 2 friends there and her brothers (but she might not ever see those friends).

There's another school which matches the specs (not sure if all, but a lot of them) but she knows no one there at all.

There's a school which would be v diff to anything she's known which can match all but one and we'd have to take her through somehow (but we could make it work).

Does anyone have any insight on how damaging it can be for a Y10 to move schools and have to start her subjects again for the new boards? The schools are all confident (save for the last one) that they can manage her (and whoever joins her in the move) and they have the space, time and man-power to do so.

Help, please. I am so sorry for my lovely girl. She's putting on a brave front but the thought of moving schools is eating her up.

Thanks guy x

OP posts:
Muchtoomuchtodo · 23/04/2026 22:00

Even if the exam boards are the same, the school could teach the curriculum in completely different orders so it’s not as simple as matching subjects and boards unfortunately.

Most teaching will be done in year 10 with mocks early ish in year 11 - just before or after Christmas ime and all of the teaching done by Easter in year 11 which really doesn’t give much time for catching up.

i would go for the school that will suit your dd the best and repeat year 10.

Openthecurtainsforgsake · 23/04/2026 21:49

@TheCheeseTax I'm sorry.

The really big thing is that she is academic and stubborn, so she will probably be determined to make up for any problems during transition.

Have you talked to the school you’d like her to go to? The first one you mentioned? having friends there is really important. She doesn’t need the stress of settling in difficulties.

You could ask them if she could have assessments with the teachers concerned so that they can see any gaps now, giving her the summer (and maybe some extra tuition or a crammer) to get to grips with the board she’s changing to.

Do you know whether they’re doing the same texts for English Literature

I hope Starmer is reading this to see someone else’s education being played havoc with because of his mean-spirited 20% tax. As we know the likes of Eton, Harrow, etc will not even notice whereas cosy little schools that helped kids with additional needs are often fucked.

BeAquaEagle · 23/04/2026 21:44

I'd be asking where other pupils at her current school seem to be heading to. My reasoning is that a school taking in a group of pupils who have missed one part of the curriculum for a subject will find it easier snd more cost effective to arrange group tuition rather than for one single student. There would also be a feeling of solidarity. Could you move her straight away so that she only has two terms of GCSE 'mismatch '? Even if it meant paying two lots if fees this term, it would still be cheaper than repeating the whole of year 10 as others have suggested.

Buscobel · 23/04/2026 21:37

State schools are usually reluctant to take pupils at the start of year 11, because of the reasons you’ve outlined, regarding different subjects and different exam boards. The majority of the content is covered in year 10. Would it be possible to repeat year 10 at an independent school, with the best match of subjects she’s been studying?

IsThisACrazyThoughtDec25 · 23/04/2026 21:35

The content is often the same even if the boards aren't. Worth actually looking at the exam specifications.

Have you looked at state boarding schools? I would recommend them.

WoollyandSarah · 23/04/2026 21:32

Would you be able to get her to repeat year 10? I appreciate it is an extra year, but academically enable her to do the full courses for every subject.