Tips for moving children overseas in year 10

[LovingLemur]

I'm hoping for some positive guidance of how to make a transition successful for a child moving abroad in Year 10 please. This will be from a UK state school to an international school which follows the UK curriculum so GCSE's can continue. The area will have lots of British and English speaking expats too which I'm hoping will help.
It''s 90% happening so any stories of success welcome (appreciating it's a really tricky time to move).

It’s mid gcse course and some schools do different exam boards so it’s really sub optimal to move then.

The only one I know that moved in year 10 it was because of an issue at school and her mum (who was from overseas and quite eccentric) moved her to a local private school. She’s very bright and is doing well but has the same social group as had friends in the new school already. Everyone thought the mum was being about mad to move her at that stage. Don’t know anyone else that’s done that.

End of year 10 or beginning of year 10? I would strongly advise against moving at the end of year 10, and even the beginning of year 10 is not great. Make sure they know they have to hit the ground running and don't have time to "find their feet". Also depending on the mindset of the school, they may have to ignore what other students are up to, especially if the school is not particularly academic. Some extra tutors may help as well.

I think you'd be best off talking to the school, as they probably have the most experience with this sort of situation. I live in a place that has a lot of British expats and mostly it's only the kids who moved later on in their schooling who go to the international schools - younger kids tend to go to the local school.
What are they planning to do about education or work after school? Back to UK, or do you expect them to settle in the new country? If they're planning to go back to UK for uni I would check the rules on university fees for non UK residents.

Are they currently year 10 and you’re planning to move this summer so half way through the 2year course? Or are they currently y9 and the move will happen shortly after the start of y10? Do you know the set texts and exam boards at your school for each subject? The international school may do iGCSE meaning there could be course work elements and the topic choices are significantly wider.

Join an expats fb group where you want to go. That will be full of people who have actually done it.

Might have different exam boards and syllabuses!!

Moving for the start of Y10 - the school will be well used to this, and it will be fine. Potentially tricky, as you will move to iGCSE, in a new environment with minimal support initially, but ok to do.

Moving at the end of y10, please split the family for the last year of GCSE's. It is a crazy time to relocate, the syllabus' will be different, as it's iGCSE, and you are setting your child up to achieve below their ability. Sorry if that's not what you want to hear.

If you need to move at the end of year 10, your best bet for lack of impact academically on the child is for them to repeat year 10. Alternatives are to accept that their grades will take a hit and it will be a hard transition (if you can find a school that will take them), or to change to another curriculum.

If it’s end of year 10 surely you do all you can not to move or the child lives with friends / family for year 11?

We did this at the beginning of year 10 and DS is thriving. Helped there was a residential a few weeks in which everyone in the year went on.
They have many more opportunities at an international school than had in UK. The friends here are much more open minded.
Definitly join expat facebook groups, a great one is TwoFatExpats.
We told ours they were going and have always been positive about the move or framed parts as an adventure, never a worry. We involved them but not as in they get to chose whether or not we go but where on holiday for first time etc

Get the new school to buddy your child up in advance - there are questions they can only ask another 15 year old!

We had some close friends who moved at this point, having been a good steady student. She is now late twenties, she couldn’t settle at school, did terribly in exams, couldn’t get her head into any of the (now more limited) opportunities for further education and early work, and is sadly really not thriving with work or life.
They moved for work opportunities for themselves and now wish they’d left postponed their own agenda, or left daughter behind with granny.

Could you postpone/you stay behind for another year (in reality only til mid-June next year)?

Depends a lot on the country and curriculum. You'd be best speaking to the school that you intend them to go to in the new country.
I moved to the UK when I was 15 and had to go back a year so that I could start GCSEs at year 10 (even though come of the previous curriculum was equivalent of a-levels). Glad I did though, because I had a friend who came through at a similar age, but skipped ahead to year 12, and she really really struggled.

What rubbish! I moved schools at the beginning of year 11 (army brat my parents had no choice) and I upped my predicted grades by 2 was predicted C's and I came away with A's.
No repeating just hard work!
And it would be even easier to do that now with no coursework marks so it's all down to hard work and revision.

Not if the schools use different exam boards, chose different texts and / or teach the syllabus in a different order so that the student misses large parts if it.

i’m glad it worked out for you but it’s a really difficult time to move schools, not just for the exam reasons

How long ago was this? How many different exam boards, specification options and options within specifications did your school have to choose from?

The chances of finding a school that matches up with the OP's child's current school, has options blocks that allow the same choice of subjects, has space in the classes for the relevant subjects and (even if they do) teaches in the same order is very low. This is why the vast majority of international schools operating the English curriculum do not take children into year 11 (or 13). I'm glad it worked out for you but it's not as simple as hard work if there isn't a school place.

I forgot to say that using one of the online schools is also an option.

We are currently in the international system and are moving countries this summer - DD is currently year 10. We contacted the school we are going to and went and visited them and they were really helpful and friendly. I’m glad we went as there were some minor differences in the courses. I’d recommend reaching out to the school now and checking the syllabus as GCSE and IGCSE are different.

Also if she has to repeat a year and start year 10 again it’s no issue in my opinion. It’s not unheard of in international circles - we’ve been living and working in schools overseas for 11 years so happy to help if needed.

I agree repeating the year isn't something that will be seen as a big thing - kids are used to other kids being slightly out of wack age wise.

I work in a British Curriculum international school. Starting year 10 shouldn’t be an issue. Just like in the UK it will be like moving from KS3 to KS4. They may need to change option choices if they have already selected them in the UK. Moving between 10 and 11 however is massively disruptive as IGCSE’s still have coursework for many qualifications and the majority is completed in year 10.

Before year 10, fine, depending on the child's personality as well.

Mid year or end of year 10, that would be a joke surely? No way.

I live abroad in a place with lots of British expats and it's very common for one parent to move ahead on their own to allow their kids to finish exams/tricky school years etc.

Thanks for the messages. We completely get the sooner the better. Glad to hear there are some stories of success/ where any impact hasn't been detrimental. We have considered the one parent going ahead scenario but with another DC currently in year 8/ year 9 from this September that would mean another 3 years before we were clear of GCSEs of we didn't go soon.

IGCSE and GCSE have different specifications so you child will have to study different content. It will be a complete change to what they have been studying in the UK. It’s not totally alien but most of our kids have to redo year 10 to cover the Coursework content.

I think it's important to put GCSEs into context.
Not all country's take GCSE''s. Yes in the UK they are the be all and end all but not true of most other countries don't do exams at both 16 and 18.

Depending on what and where your DC's are looking at uni do they actually need 10 GCSE's?
Could they look at dropping to 5-7 and making the move actually work for them? English lang, maths, two sciences plus one other will challenge them still. Get the necessary to get into sixth forms but won't break them if their exam syllabus don't match up.

So, if the kids stayed back one year, you would move Summer 2026 for start of Y10 and start of Y12? Sounds perfect to me.