Moving end of year 8 from English school to Scottish system

[Chavvytastic]

We may be moving from Wales back upto Scotland. DD2 is currently in year 7 at boarding school (prep upto age 13)land and due to move onto senior school at the start of year 9.

This will hopefully be our last move for some years so the need for DD2 to board will cease, so we are considering moving her when her current school ends to a local Scottish school into year 9.

I wondered if any Scots could talk to me about the Scottish school system, what exams (GCSEs etc). I am completley ignorant as someome who grew up in the English system and we moved away fromafter 7/8years in Scotland when DD1 was just 4yo, so pre school.

Essentially I am keen to know if DD2 joins a school at the start of year 9, if she will be in time for GCSE(or equivalent).

Thanks in advance

What age is your daughter and when is her birthday? That will determine which year she is in Scotland as the cut off dates are different. Are you looking at private or state? Also Scottish exams are about to change so can't really give any info until we know what year and whether you are looking for a private school that does A levels etc.

Year 9 is roughly equivalent to 2nd year High school in Scotland but as I say, it depends on his birthday. In the scottish system you would definitely be in the new Curriculum for Excellence exams rather than Standard Grades etc.

The first difference is the age cut off- in Scotland it is usually age at the end of February rather than the end of August. So you start secondary school (S1) in mid August on the basis that you will be 12 by the following February at the latest. This equates roughly to your year 7.

In reality most children are 12 by Christmas at the latest as those with Jan/Feb birthdays tend to be held back at the beginning of primary.
Most schools go through from S1 to S6 so we don't have any sixth form college equivalent and most students stay at the same school all the way through.
There is a new curriculum and exam system currently being introduced and you DD would be included in this - Curriculum for Excellence which is a whole different topic. The upshot is that students take their first formal exams (now called National 4 or National 5) in S4 then Highers in S5 and Advanced Highers in S6. The course for National 5s is a 2 year course starting in S3 and continuing in to S4, whereas Highers are a one year course done in S5. There are various flexible versions of the above but this is the usual.
It is a completely different system but the end result is still the same, first formal exams at 15/16 then those wishing to go on to further education stay on for another one or two years depending on how high their ambitions/ abilities are.
Have a good browse through the Scottish Qualifications Authority for full details. www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/CCC_FirstPage.jsp
Depending on whether you go state or private you may have other options- some of the private schools offer English qualifications or the IBAC too.

Thank you so much for your replies. So helpful. All this moving etc has been sprung in us rather quickly and my head is all over the place.

My DD is 11, will be 12 in May so I am thinking she would be in the last year of primary now if we were in Scotland. So I reckon she would move into S2 in August 2014 (having turned 13 in May 2014). My main question is: will this be in time for Options (assuming this new Curriculum of Excellence has them) etc????? Am I right in thinking that joining at the start of S2 won't mean she has missed out on the start of the main formal exam/courses?

Realistically financially we are looking at state schools but may consider private if she get a scholarship and some financial assistance.

I think schools are doing different things, but essentially there are 3 years of "Broad General Education" and the first formal exams are at the end of S4. Some schools are choosing options at the end of S2. My son's school are not choosing until the end of S3 and giving them a year to study for Level 5 exams at the end of S4. As Level 4s are internally assessed and they are a very academic school then they expect to be able to award level 4s at the end of S3 in the majority of subjects.

Where are you thinking of moving to roughly?

my younger son is the same age - he'll be 12 in August and so going into 1st year after this summer.

You are correct - she would be in Primary 7 at the moment (last year of Primary) and will go into S2 August 14. My ds1 is in S2 and hasn't taken any options yet HTH

Thanks. Lots to think about and now I am wondering should we be up there before August this year whether we should move DD2 so she is new with everyone else straightaway.

Its Morayshire we will be moving to.

At my kids' school they choose options for National 5's (GCSE equivalent) in the winter of S2 and start the exam course in S3, so two years of study for exams at the end of S4.

Just so you know as well, school allocation works differently in Scotland - each address has it's own catchment school to which you are guaranteed a place (there are exceptional circumstances where this wouldn't be the case, but very very rare). In order to register at that school, you just need to provide evidence that you live (or have bought/rented a property) in that area. You then have an option to apply to any other school (called a placing request), even outwith your local council and there is a high possibility (depending on the school) that that request will be granted.

All things being equal, I would attempt to move so she was starting High school with everyone else, that way it would be easier to make new friends while they are all pretty much in the same boat.

My son goes to an "out of catchment" school without his classmates and has settled really well.

This might be useful:

news.stv.tv/scotland/206525-school-league-tables-details-for-exam-performance-at-a-glance/

as well as this:

www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_55590.html

It sounds like as long as we get her in for the start of S2 she should be in time for the options which is a relief.

Now wondering about eldest DD, if she wanted to leave her school down here at the end of her GCSEs and do the last 2 years up in Scotland, if that would be an issue. She is an October baby.

By the looks of the stats, it doesn't look like any of the schools are particularly academic but then it's not necessarily all about that and that doesn't mean to say that individual children don't do really well.

If she's an October baby then she would be due to finish 4th year here in the June before she was 16. Then it would be Highers and Advanced Highers or the Ebac if the school offers it. I think there is a move on those to become National 6s and 7s I think but not sure when that is sue to come in. Possibly in time for your younger daughter but maybe not for the elder.

Thank you amck5700 - I missed those just now when I posted. I will have a good look at the local schools.

We will start off military housing (but planning to settle long term so will buy eventually) but it could be one of 4 different locations. Last time we moved we didnt get our new address until 10 days before moving which was damn annoying but not an issue as both DDs were boarding and not needing to change schools. This time I will want it within the 10/12 weeks they so say should allocate us.

Best of luck with it all. There is a school near me that does boarding for Military Children which has a very good reputation - would it be worth applying there for Boarding in advance of the move so the girls were already in the Scottish system? It's not near Morayshire unfortunately so maybe there are others.

www.qvs.org.uk/

Looks like you need to have some Scottish connection though.

I think we may fit the Scotland criteria as we have served there before, I may well take a look although I doubt my youngest would be sold on Military School.

I don't think it is that military tbh - A former neighbour of mine sent her two kids there even though they are local as it is a very good school and the kids love it. Her son was getting a bit of bullying where he was and so it seemed a good option for them. He totally settled in there.

amck5700 Sat 23-Feb-13 21:43:16
If she's an October baby then she would be due to finish 4th year here in the June before she was 16. Then it would be Highers and Advanced Highers or the Ebac if the school offers it. I think there is a move on those to become National 6s and 7s I think but not sure when that is sue to come in. Possibly in time for your younger daughter but maybe not for the elder.

Help me understand: Highers and Advanced Highers are the the current system?
And Nationals 6s and 7s will be the new system?

As DD1 is 14yo (last October) and is due to sit her final GCSEs in summer of 2016 (Yr 11 down here), will the old Highers and Advanced Highers still be running for her age/year group?

I am just trying to work out what would happen if she moved up here then. I am thinking that her Scottish equivalents will finish their Standards in the summer of 2016 as well, and that those wishing to stay on would complete their education with Highers and/or Advanced Highers. Is this correct???

Or is there a National Cut off date for the old system rather than a phasing in iykwim?

Its hard to put into word what I am getting at - hope you or someone understands and can clarify.

• Correction she would complete her final GCSE's in Summer 2015 not 16 as I said above.

bit early to get my head round that lol - just heading out for a run - be back in about an hour and i'll have worked it out by then. Not sure re the National 6s and 7s - I'll see what I can find out. My eldest still only 12 so not paid too much attention to that bit yet. :)

Thank you. No I am not properly awake yet either, had a night of broken sleep mulling this lot over.

I have just sent a rather long winded email to the service childrens education place in the hope they may answer some of my questions but anything anyone cam add or help with, would be very much appreciated.

Okay, Your Daughter would be born in Oct 1998 then? So in Scotland she would start P1 at almost age 5 so that would be in 2003. So she would have started S1 in 2010. That would put her currently in S3 and the first year group to sit the new National4/5s in 2014. She would be due to sit her Highers here in 2015. So effectively, she would need to move down a year if she came to Scotland if they do that? That might get complicated, I think you definitely need some advice from someone in the know.

Might be worth doing another post seeking info from someone in High School education.

Cant find anything out about the National 6's etc either but I'll keep looking

Thanks. Oh dear - not ideal.

I saw something a a school handbook that led me to believe she would be in S5 in 2015 but what you say also makes sense.

I think I will try another post on this matter.

But thanks so much for all your help.

Yes, she will be in S5 in 2015 - that would be 5th year and that's when we would be doing Highers in Scotland. They way it is sitting at the moment is that for anyone currently in S3 or below, ordinarily they will do Nation 4/5s at the end of S4. Some schools are getting them to choose subjects at end of S2 then again at end of S3 (most schools are going with 6 subjects but some are doing 5 and ours is doing 7) others are going straight to the end of S3 and then choosing subjects for exams in S4.

S5 would still be Highers or maybe level 5s for less able students or those that maybe want a greater variety of 4/5s rather than Highers.

S6 would be Advanced Highers or Highers/level 5s for less able students/variety.

Ah right. Thank you so much for your help, so kind of you to go to all this trouble to answer my questions. .