Move back to the UK with high school aged DCs

[AngryArthur]

Has anyone done this and survived? We’ve been overseas for 8 years now, all DCs would have to change school years if we moved home. One DC would have to catch up on a year of missed GCSE study (Year 9), the other would miss year 6 and head straight to high school, and the third would skip year 2 and head into year 3!!

Location would be Surrey, so likely all state schools are full. Sounds barmy when you write it out like that, but I have a very frail DM, also DH is keen to move home to be closer to family.

Haven't done it myself, but a colleague did when all of her 4 dc were in secondary and it was a nightmare. Good schools full, only one child got the AS levels she wanted (but then had to drop one as workload too heavy) 2 others got a place in a very rough school but had to do the gcses that were available. She stuck it out for a year and then left again in the summer.

Honestly OP if you go back at this stage I would be concerned about the GCSE one. Catching up on a whole years work is going to be difficult.

Not all schools start gcse syllabus in year 9 so year 10 entry is feasible for 2 year course. Where in Surrey? Ds "missed" year 2 but he made up the gaps.

If you have an address SCC allow you to apply in advance. Some areas still have schools with a year 3 transfer/intake so you may be able to submit an ontime application in January for youngest's place. Year 7 child will be a late secondary application but still could get a place allocated in March if you send it soon. Eldest is an in year application.

Thanks everyone for the advice, we'd be looking around the Epsom area. I'm wondering if we could use DM's address to get the ball rolling. We might end up coming home and staying with her for a bit while DH wraps things up overseas. My oldest is in a selective school here, so a selective like Nonsuch might be a possibility for her. It seems like a mammoth undertaking though. My year 7 DC has SEN and has had zero support where we are, I think he'd be very behind and the move could potentially heap a lot of stress on him. But also he might finally get the educational support he needs once the dust settles.

Only one school round here stated they did 3 year GCSE's, so you might manage that. If you dont move before the autumn, moving will become increasingly difficult for the next 2 years.
You may well end up with all 3 kids in different schools.

What do you mean by skipping a year? Have they been held back at a British school overseas, or is the country you are currently in using a different numbering system?? Looking at the US and English curriculum kids round me, after the first few years, they were broadly the same by age, not by school year name. So if it is a difference in numbering systems, I woikdnt worry too much about that side of it.

My council could give me an indication of place availability without comminting to an address - just an area. Obviously thus wont be usefull for the Y6, but might give you an indication of where spaces are possible, and if the school is acceptable.

Good luck - we did it this summer, without the secondary school problem.

I have known students arrive and get into my DC's very full and desirable secondary in Surrey, even in year 10. The school has then worked around and provided a timetable for them (sometimes quite limited when they have moved very late and from a very different system). And my DC's school does start GCSEs in year 9 - but has definitely allowed students to "catch up". The trickiest subject is probably History.

But also he might finally get the educational support he needs once the dust settles.

I wouldn't hold your breath on this - schools here are massively struggling with providing additional support for DC with SEN. You'll need to pick your school carefully and ensure that this is the case.

I have a good friend who lives in Carshalton and yes, schools are very competitive in that area. The grammars also have no catchment, so they have pupils from all over London and the SE of England travelling to them and getting a place is very difficult, due to the aggressive tutoring culture of those who are determined to get their DC in.

That's reassuring that catching up on GCSEs is a possibility! Can I ask roughly where in Surrey Molly?

I'm in Australia so they start a bit later here, my 11yr old DS will start year 6 this February, so he's more than a year behind the UK schooling system. He had the option to start reception later in Australia, and we took it thinking he wasn't ready for school, when in actual fact he wasn't ready because he has multiple SEN.

Good point Zafferana, DD did well in her selective high school exam, but she has taken her foot off the gas a bit since then. I'm not confident she would be "top tier" in the exam she'd need to sit for a grammar school... without aggressive tutoring anyway!

Just seen the comment about using DMs address. We were asked for proof of actually living here - council tax and plane tickets/ boarding cards to show when we had actually got here.
Also, once we had a place, we had to be in the school within 3 weeks - so starting now may cause issues, unless you can move quickly once a place is found.

I did approach the council before we flew to the uk, but we had a house and plane tickets for the following week. I know people who started earlier be turned away because they weren't in the country.

I'm the other side of Surrey.
I would talk to the SENCO and possible schools for your DS, because schools do vary and you want to find the one that will best meet your sons needs. But normally "catching up" is not a problem, and can even be done in GCSE years if the school is sensible, and the student will work.
The Epsom school I know of are single sex, but supposedly good.

Thanks Kitten, that's useful info.

I'm starting to think it might be better to just commit to a month at home during the school holidays each year!!

Thanks Molly, is there a SENCO in each school, or just per LEA? I think compared to his peers he's probably more than a few years behind now, among other things he can barely write, aged 11. It's mind blowing that he's not getting any help at his current school.

Are you sure you want to go back to the UK? Your kids must have completely adapted to Australian culture by now. I don’t know if you remember or noticed it much when you moved over, but there are huge cultural differences that people don’t really discuss much. It could be very tricky, especially for the older one to adapt. Speaking from experience kids generally have far more freedom and a great outdoors lifestyle here.

Completely empathise with your frustrations RE lack of SEN support though, my sister is a primary teacher and I’ve heard this from her innumerable times. Its a fight in the UK too but at least there’s some funding to fight for.
Just food for thought.

Each school has a Senco. However would drop a word of caution that Surrey has recently been taken to court by a group of parents recently regarding its SEND provision so would not anticipate that support would be easy to access. You may struggle to enter a selective state school later on, unless you have funds to go fee paying. Even passing an interim assessment would not automatically open up a place, and time is not a luxury you can afford to wait it out. Maybe you could consider for sixth form.

For secondary rosebery is the most desirable for girls and glyn for boys in epsom.
Primaries are a lot more hit and miss.

And yes you will likely struggle for help with send as many of my friends have. Just because a school has a Senco doesn’t mean you will get help.

Look on the government website for the schools in epsom and Ashtead and you can see the ofsted and other results. It may help. It depends where you will be living as catchments are very small. Feel free to pm if you want more info. I don’t like posting too much on threads