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).

As a teacher. I personally think year ten is the worst time you can ever move a student. Do you need to go this year?! Lots of schools do different exam boards and even if they have the same exam board for the topics aka History they still might teach a different topic. I’ve had year tens join mid way through teaching History GCSE and it’s a nightmare trying to catch them up- I basically have to rely on them doing it at home as I don’t have time at school unless they stayed behind and I give free tutoring after school every day and that’s just one subject. It’s not just content you need to catch them up on but the way to approach the questions, as different exam boards have different styles of questions and therefore different writing structures to follow.

Really think carefully about the move- it’s your child’s future here. If you do move- definitely invest in a tutor for the subjects where the topics /exam boards are not the same.

Thanks for your replies. It'd be start or half way through year 10. It would be an international school and we await their advice and expertise re their experience of doing this with other children- we appreciate the challenge. We can't wait unless we split the family for 3 years as we have another DC who will follow DC1 up. I don't feel keeping the kids back a year would help them feel like it was the right move - I'm concerned it'll feel like a negative for the children to want to go.
We would access a tutor if needed.
Mindful the timing is tricky hence the question in the first place.
@ChunkyMum667 no joke, no, hence the question
@Goingtroppo great to hear a positive outcome!

Moving for the start of Y10 is fine.
It's moving for the start of Y11 that is problematic.
Your opening post wasn't completely clear what stage you were at, so you have got some "worst case" responses.
International schools are well used to taking new students for the start of GCSEs in Y10, and will deal with it.
Just try and get there for as early in the year as you can - the later you leave it the more catching up there is to do, and the more restrictions there are on options as some classes may be full.

Move as early as you can in Year 10. No later than the end of term 1. I have some frantic year 10s playing catch-up now. Schools are becoming more reluctant to move students mid year. All of my Mid year 10s have had to repeat the year. It’s frustrating for them but they get over it. International school have massive enrichment programmes so very often teachers are not available for intervention sessions like they would be in the UK.

You must really really have to relocate to do this. Sorry but it seems crazy to me. Whether we like it or not the whole education system gears towards to these exams. If they are doing something competitive at university (law etc) they will be looked at. Have a child doing them now and they are a big deal. Cannot imagine a parent jeopardising this by moving mid GCSEs course unless you were on the run or something..

What if it didn't jeopardise the results but also gave the child lots more social opportunities and opened more futures doors than if no change was made. Whilst there are risks to doing nothing, what's to say a negative outcome/ harm is inevitable?

Start of year 10 will not be a problem. They’ll start the gcse courses at the same time as everyone else. If they are having trouble keeping up for whatever reason most international schools will arrange for them to drop a gcse or two to focus on the others.

part way through the year could be more problematic.

Opportunities are great, but I have seen too many mid year students spend their first year stressing and playing catch-up. It’s not all amazing experiences. I’ve seen even the most able students in tears. There will definitely be some element of culture shock. I’m at the most British style school you could ask for. Co-ed and with a robust pastoral support, but at the end of the day we are still in a desert 3000 miles away. Lots of schools are international in name only. Which generates a whole other set of issues. You know your kids best, but be prepared for the school to veto your notions and recommend them to redo the year.

I would strongly recommend you join an expat forum like the one I recommended up thread eg twofatexpats
You will get replies on there that aren't anglocentric amd from people who have actually done this.
Looking at PISA data the number of countries who sit exams at age 16 is in the minority. You will find other countries (and as such then universities) don't give much/any emphasis on GCSEs. Its all about testing at age 18.

Even if your DCs come back to the UK for uni just remember universities take students from all around the world not just UK so are used to different education backgrounds. That includes having no GCSEs or just a few. Yes if you are British and gone through the UK for something like medicine they'll look at GCSEs as well but there is a world outside of the UK and unis know this!

Any good international school will be used to this scenario, they will have different pathways open to pupils who start at different times in the year and from different countries. There is usually a pre-sixth form route for pupils entering in y11, this is a condensed timetable of 5 GCSEs all they need to stepping stone into the next stage.

If your child is only going to miss a few months of y10 you could even ask if they could online school, this would cost you though.

Please take this the right way, once you leave UK chat rooms you'll find this isn't that unusual! People on the international circuit move all the time some with just a few weeks notice. A good international school won't bat an eyelid and have systems in place.

I would recommend you speak to the school to start with and see what they can offer in terms of support.

And to answer your question, yep the opportunities will be well worth it!

If you’re going to go you need to be there for the start of year 10. You’re going to go anyway clearly.

Mumsnet isn't really the best place to get advice on this. You will just get a load of people telling you that you are ruining your child's life. Meanwhile in the real world it happens all the time and international schools have robust systems in place to help you manage such a move.

Thank you @rainbowunicorn and @Goingtroppo that sounds like really sound advice. I'll go away and take a look. Thanks everyone for your stance here. It's helpful.

I honestly wouldn't. I'd you can possibly manage to Hang on a year or one of you stay behind with her or stay at a grandparents and commute during the holidays even doing the same exams will have huge differences.
*Edit just read she will be starting year 10. Then try to get there before the start of term If you can. It'll be fine

If it's for the beginning of year 10, or fairly early on in year 10 it shouldn't be an issue.

Where I am none of the well regarded English curriculum schools will take past Christmas of year 10 but some can be persuaded (these tend to be the ones with super high fees and places going spare). The norm is to either change curriculum (usually to US) or to repeat year 10. From other responses on this thread this seems to be specific to the international school community in the country I live in and in other places it's normal to admit into Year 11. Be guided by the school you're looking at. They'll have the full details and be able to advise properly.

International school teacher here. One aspect of international schools is the rapid turn over of students, therefore OP you and your children are not in an unusual situation. I've taught in British international schools, which teach IGCSEs and GCSEs and am very used to accommodating late starters. The staff are used to it! Yes, there are different exam boards and I've taught and examined all three main ones; the curriculum differences really are minimal. Remember class sizes are usually smaller than in UK state schools ( I've taught in the UK too) so 'catching them up' is easier.
I wouldn't hesitate to take this opportunity because that is exactly what it is. No guilt! We educated my younger child at an international school and wish we had done it earlier with the older one (who is now a teacher at an international school!). Such experiences are brilliant. Your child will also probably learn a second language fluently and have terrific school trips!
Ps Why do people insist on putting an apostrophe in GCSEs?

Agree!

Non expat British posters whose DCs are up to their necks in GCSE prep tend to have tunnel vision.