Moving after GCSEs from England to Scotland for A-levels with an EHCP

[Wolfies]

DC is attending a specialist school (SEMH) and is doing currently KS4 with the aim to sit GCSEs. DC is very academic and wants to go on to do A-levels and then to uni. Currently EHCP in place.

Due to circumstances, we will have to move to Scotland. We will definitely sit out the next 18 months here in England until the GCSEs are done.

I know Scotland has no EHCPs and the A-level system is different too. Does anyone have any insight. Is this a very stupid move and would it be better for me and DC to follow the test of the family only after A-levels are done here. I am not sure if am overthink or underestimating such a move but the current school place was a year long fight so we are definitely not wanting to disrupt GCSEs.

If you move there 3 years before he starts uni he can get free university just FYI. Dont know about the rest but that’s something to consider either way

I'm no expert on their system at all but I know it's complex and what's on offer in terms of Highers/Advanced Highers varies from place to place, and that there's no standard number/type of qualifications quite in the way there is here, and less rigidity on ages. As you probably know, in England the government funding depends on learners doing 3 x level 3 courses or the equivalent (e.g. A-levels or BTECs or a T-level) and it is unusual for learners to be educated out of age group.

I imagine there must be pre requisites for the Scottish Higher courses and GCSE and their "Nationals" may not have the same content. Plus they sit Nationals at 15 don't they?

Regarding the EHCP, I understand that SEN support is much harder to get there and I certainly wouldn't assume anything.

You'd be probably best advised to speak directly to schools or colleges in the area you plan to move to?

This might be completely left field but don't they start university at 17? Might be worth looking into things like access courses. I know some parents in England find universities more supportive of SEN than schools. This is the Scottish service:

Additional Support Needs - Student Information Scotland https://share.google/0J5qieZAGPCmrNMvl

This is for Forces parents but I found it quite informative (at least now I understand what my friends' Scottish teens are studying!):

Overview-of-Scottish-Education-System.pdf https://share.google/R6RifLxhyMZwGjd0Q

Do you think it could be worth investigating A-levels through online learning too? That could give you flexibility. I know there are some good providers now.

They would be doing Highers in Scotland, not A levels. The norm is to do 5 highers in S5, then you apply for uni in S6 once you have your higher results. In S6 you can do advanced highers (which are similar level to an A level as i understand it) and more highers, or kids can leave after S5 if they wanted.

But first you need to check which school year your child would be going into in Scotland based on their age, it may be that they need to repeat a school year or be really young for their year.

Thats on the radar too but he would need a gap year but may not be a bad things given what he has been through. But it's not the main concern.

no, doesn't work for him. He needs a classroom and a teacher.

So in short, DC would do GCSEs here when he is 16. Then move up in the Summer after getting results and start Highers (S5) there and then another year for advanced highers and then uni?

Does anyone know if Scotland would accept GCSE results as qualifications to start highers (S5).

Do you mean DC would be out of year group if he started highers (S5) in August 2027? They will be 15 at that point turning 16 later that autumn.

Also, can you start highers without GCSE results? Don't they usually find out results later in August in England (but school starting earlier in Scotland)?

some start uni when they are still 17 but some students have already turned 18.
In Scotland the year for school admissions runs from 1st March to end of Feb rather than Sept-Aug in England. So kids start Primary 1 (P1) when they are all at least 4.5, and those with birthdays between March and August have already turned 5 and start a year later than they would in England. Then they do P1-P7 in primary, and again the oldest have already turned 12 when they move to secondary school.
But then they only have 6 years of secondary school not 7 as they do in England if you stay on to A-levels. They do Nat 5's at the end of S4, highers in S5 and more highers / advanced highers in S6.
Now anyone in Scotland will tell you that Nat 5's are the equivalent of GCSEs and highers are equivalent to Alevels......but they typically do 5 highers in a year compared to 3 A-levels in 2 years so i'm personally not buying that argument!! The uni courses are also 4 years rather than 3 as standard and the 1st year is very much like doing A-levels again with a lot of choice of subjects and modules across different departments (unless you're doing something very specific such as medicine).
I know of one school who do GCSEs and then highers so they must be comparable enough to change systems. They do however go back to school after sitting their Nat 5's and spend the last few weeks of term starting the highers syllabus so that could work against you if moving to the area.

Highers aren’t equivalent to A levels, they sit slightly lower and are a 1 year course rather than 2 years, Advanced Highers would be a closer equivalent.

Speak to the school you’re planning for your child to go to - they’ll be able to map his learning and see where they offer relevant subjects at higher level. If he’s moving to Scotland when he’s 15 he may map into 4th year which would mean he’d sit National 5s and then do Highers the following year. You don’t need GCSE results to enrol him for school or for the school to map him onto Highers, kids start the higher curriculum in June just after exams so there’s always a bit of sorting out to do if a pupil doesn’t get an expected result at Nationals.

In terms of additional support, schools should give what’s needed irrespective of diagnosis however there’s the never ending fight for resources. The best thing to do is start exploring the area you’re planning to move to and speak to the relevant schools.

Highers are not equivalent to A levels, nobody would claim they are. Advanced Highers, taken after Higher in sixth year are roughly equivalent. Because Highers are done in one year it is normal to start the syllabus at the end of fourth year, between the end of the exam period and the summer holidays, which begin at the end of June/ beginning of July. Missing those weeks would be a disadvantage.

@Wolfies students in Scotland start their highers straight after they do their nat5/4 exams (equivalent time to sitting GCSE) so at the end of may and into June as the syllabus for the highers to be started early so your child will be sitting their GCSEs whilst the Scottish students start their higher syllabus. Some Scottish students are 17 when they go to uni. My daughter was an April birthday and went at 18 and a half but friends who were born in the February after were 17.5 when they went.
My daughter said it was better to be older in the year so you could drink! She's tee total now.

In June, my DC would still be in England doing GCSE exams. How would that work? Could they just start a few weeks later?

Gosh, I didn't know it was so complicated.

do you know whereabouts in Scotland you'll be living? There seems to be a small number of independent schools who offer A-levels and I know some do the IB if you could afford to pay for a couple of years.

possibly Edinburgh or Glasgow. we couldn't afford private. I am happy for DD to go highers/advanced highers. We are not fuzzed about A-levels.

Personally, I would avoid if at all possible.

It is worth reading Enquire’s website. They have an advice line too. Enquire runs a similar service for Scotland that IPSEA does for England. Not quite the same, but near enough.

Obviously none of us know your circumstances or whether you have flexibility on where you move to, but I think you might be best placed to identify a large secondary or college in an area where they get a lot of incomers (whether because they are Forces kids/parents work offshore/immigration/refugees) as they will have expertise in figuring out what courses might work for students who've been educated elsewhere? You can't be the only people who've ever needed to do this. We're two small, neighbouring nations!

I just had a look to see if it's actually possible to sit A-levels at independent schools in Scotland (looks like it is) and came across this useful explainer that compares the various qualifications for difficulty and UCAS points:

Scottish Highers vs A Levels - Education Academy Scotland https://share.google/9WiUC5zP4SlXNVmUw

The issue may be though that GCSEs prepare for A-level in content and skills (although I teach a GCSE and A-level course - in a popular but niche subject - and I can't say it works brilliantly in my subject - the reading and writing requirements alone are a huge step up) but in e.g. Science, English, Maths at least the courses were designed to follow on.

History would be a huge challenge for instance!

And you have got a DC with challenges above the average already.

Definitely needs a load of research.

They would catch up on the pre summer bit, they don't do a lot then. Advantages of the Scottish system are that they can stay broader in numbers of subjects for longer. And in 6th year they can do advanced highers or additional highers in other subjects they may be interested in, or even resit if needed. All schools will have all the "standard" subjects. It's the less common ones that may vary by school. Not all schools offer a higher in dance for example, it depends if they have a PE teacher who is dance qualified.
I am sure they would accept into highers based on predicted GCSE grade.
My only advice would be like anywhere, look at the specific schools when choosing an area to live. There are some very good schools outside the cities you mention which would be a lot more affordable from a house price perspective.