Pls explain the UK (high) school system to a foreigner

[EminSydney]

Hi there from Oz
DH's looking at an opportunity to move to his company's London office so I am researching about the school system for our 2 boys. Older one is 14 years (Oz high school year 8) and the younger is 12 years (year 6 in Oz primary).

So far it has been a bit brain-boggling. We are looking mainly at state schools, and I have come to understand there are selective state schools after children sit for the 11+ exams.
My kids both sat for selective school entry exams here in Oz as well, but whether or not they can get into a UK selective school is a different question. I'm just going to start by looking for a good school.

I need some help to get a better understanding how to look for a good school.

(((If there are mums who have gone through moving to the UK with high school kids, please share how you navigated through putting them into the state system)))

1. I saw this on a post but couldnt understand how to read it.

2022 GCSE results of current school:
99% 9-4 (A-C), 71% 9-7(A-A), 43% 9-8 (A*).

What does 9-4 (A-C) mean??

2. I know the UK school year starts in September. Which year would my son go to if he is 15 years old in Sept 2024? Are the years which they would study determined solely by age?
   In Oz, parents have a choice to send their kids to Kinder when they turn 5 or turning 5. So there are children who are a year younger than others in the same school year. Mine both attended Kinder after they've turned 5 which makes them older than some of their peers in the same class.
   So when they go into a UK school, they might actually have to skip a year if entry is according to age? Not sure how it would impact them academically as the 2 curriculums could be very different...

3. Does a local state school have to take them in if we live in the area no matter when and what? (this applies to where we currently are in Australia)
   Is it possible to start any time during the year at all?

Thanks for your time reading this!

Another thing to be aware of is that all students take GCSE exams at the end of Year 11 (June) but after that there is a choice between 3 or 4 subjects at A level (at end of Year 13) or alternative "Level 2" qualifications (inc. BTECs, T levels) - these may be in things like catering, tourism, sport, art & design , music performance, agriculture - A levels are the more traditional route for university but many of the other courses also qualify for university entrance.

You would probably find the services of a good educational consultant really helpful. Has your husband been offered a relocation package? If he is/is going to be request they an educational consultant - maybe research and find one yourself - is included. One who works in the local and private/international system. It will save you a lot of time a stress

@JimJamJo level 3 are A level equivalent although you need a full level 3 course to correspond to 3 A levels. Some unis offer on points not specific grades, others will want a specific minimum in a specific subject plus specific grades.

Oh yes, international schools are definitely worth exploring. I don't know much about them, but an old friend of one went to one, even though he was a UK national (I can't remember why now, it's pretty unusual).

He followed a different curriculum to standard UK schools but it's still recognised by universities I think.

There are different systems in different parts of the country but you mentioned London so don't worry about other areas.

GCSEs are similar to a high school certificate but instead of a single certificate you take a GCSE in individual subjects. They are normally studied over 2 years and the way the government rate schools forces schools to favour sciences.

So the average student will study English language, English literature, maths, double or triple science, one humanity, usually RE, a modern foreign language and then they con usually pick an option or two.

Grades 9-4 are a 'level 2 qualification' grades 3-1 are a level 1 qualification. They are external exams taken in year 11. There are different exam boards but it means a child in London sits the same exam as one in Manchester.

After GCSEs students do a level 3 qualification (or they can work or take up an apprenticeship but most continue in education).

Level 3 qualifications taken in school or VI form colleges are usually A Levels, and most students take 3 subjects.

Or they may go to a college and take other courses, college courses include things like BTEC which is more practical than A Levels but will still get you to uni. Think of them as similar to TAFE.

Students who did not get a level 2 qualification usually go to college for a level 2 qualification and then stay on for a level 3 qualification.

You can ask a school to teach your child, 'out of cohort' and I would suggest your eldest starts in year 10 so he gets the full 2 years teaching for GCSEs.

An alternative might be a place in college, most college courses are for students 16 + but they can attend from 14. It depends how academic he is.

When it comes to Level 3 qualifications A Levels will get you into uni to do medicine, other level 3 qualifications will get you into uni but not for medicine.

It also depends on grades.

Your 12 year old would probably be year 8, but you might also want to consider him starting high school in year 7 where everyone is starting a new school.

Something to consider is will this be a permeant move? Will they need to move back to the Oz system? Where do they intend to go to uni?

This is a link for Australian teachers wanting to teach in the UK.

https://teachin.com.au/resource/differences-uk-and-australian-curriculum/

@sashh
I took the GCSEs and A levels when I studied in Singapore. Sounds similar but not entirely. So I understand the importance of getting my DSs to start in the year where they could prep for these exams.

However, Im not sure how much say we would have in terms of asking the schools to let them start at year 10 and year 7 respectively.

It would be great if they could get credits for what they have learnt in their schools here and not repeat a year so to speak.

Is your elder son's 15th birthday in September 2024? If so he's the same age as mine who will be going into year 9 this September. That is the year that they chose what subjects they will study at GCSEs. I believe some schools start to teach the GCSE curriculum in yr 9 though others may be able to clarify if that is indeed still the case.

It would be great if they could get credits for what they have learnt in their schools here and not repeat a year so to speak.

Unfortunately it is not about gaining credits. GCSEs as they are now, compared to a few years ago, rely almost entirely, for most subjects, on the final exams taken over five weeks in year 11. What a student has done before is not credited, it all depends on whether they know the materials required in the curriculum at that time point.

People are advising to try to start in yr10 to maximise the chance of your son having covered enough of the specific curriculum at that time in year 11. For example your son might have studied Shakespeare's Anthony and Cleopatra in great depth in his current school but if the exam paper at the end of year 11 only has Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet on it then he won't be able to answer any of the questions.

OP if you tell us which month your son was born, we can be more helpful.

Oh and the curriculum is so packed full of specific topics that there isn't much time in class to revise for some subjects at the end of the course, so if photosynthesis is covered week 1 of year 10, the child might not cover it again in class before the exam at the end of year 11. Obviously schools do try to finish early and go over things, but you can't rely on that.

If they are already 12 and 14 now, and I'm assuming birthdays were earlier this year if they are the older ones in their year, then they would be year 8 and 10 this September and year 9 and 11 in September 2024. If that's when you are arriving for then I'd want the older one to start in year 10 if possible, but depending on when his birthday is he could be quite a bit older than his peers (the youngest would be just 14).

Exactly. If the oldest is August-born and due to start Y11 in Sept 2024 I'd be lobbying the school/LA for a Year 10 out-of-normal-year-group start, as he'd only be just older than the other kids. If he's September-born and due to start Y11 on arrival, I'd wait another year if necessary and come to the UK for sixth form.

And if he's September-born and due to start Y10, then happy days. But i get the impression that's not the case.

If his birthday is before May I would delay coming so he can go straight to sixth form. Otherwise, even if they allow a year 10 start at 15, he may struggle socially being much older than his peers.

The difficulty with waiting until sept 2025 when the older one is going into year 12/starting A levels is that the younger one (depending on birth month) will be going into year 10 and some schools start GCSEs during year 9 now.

Good point about the younger one then being year 10 age.
Though, I do think it would be difficult if the older one had a birthday, say Jan to March, going into the year below. If they have just turned 12/14 last month then it would be easier.

Good point. I think fewer schools are now doing three year GCSEs (though some do), but it's still definitely preferable to start in Year 9, so you've got a year to settle in before you start GCSEs, and you're more likely to get the options you want as timetabling won't be fixed yet.

We did the move in year 6 but DS was one of the youngest so still 10 and went into the summer term of the same school year.

Ah. I see that the Australian school year is Jan to Dec so the children might not be two school years apart here even if they are there.

The cut off is turning 5 in July of Kindergarten, but Jan to July birthdays can start a year late, so children from 4 and a half to 6 starting school. If the children are 12 and 14 now in year 6 and 8 then it looks like they would both have been born in the first half of the year and therefore be two years apart here too.

Thank you!

Yes GCSEs and A Levels are very similar in Singapore, I think Singapore has O Levels doesn't it?

I did O Levels but they changed to GCSEs many years ago.

Some schools offer IB but usually not before VI form, age 16. Unless you can afford to go private.

Why do they tend to move at Yr 12 and where do?

There are colleges specifically for 16+. Some schools don’t do non a level qualifications eg Btec. Some schools don’t do all a levels eg psychology. Some schools only go up to 16.

Around us, lots of kids move for sixth form. Not because the schools finish at 16, but just because the kids fancy a change, or their school might not offer the A level options they want, or perhaps they've had enough of single sex and want co-ed. Lots swap from one grammar to another, or they might swap into a grammar when they weren't before, or they might swap out and go into private. There's quite a lot of fluidity.