Generally freaking out re. school places

[Novelist]

Hi,

Am hoping to get some advice/idea of expectation in year levels!

We're an Aussie family moving to Cambridgeshire for around 18 months in June and the school system is seeing me lose a lot of sleep. We held our daughter back a year in Australia (under the advice of a developmental paed., paed. psychologist, OT etc.) as she has a mild developmental delay. She is in grade one now (her second year of schooling) and is doing well (phew). The problem is, admissions wants to put her in year four. We may be able to take her back to year three, with much documentation, but I'm really scared she is going to struggle. She can write short sentences (with interesting spelling) and her reading is coming on, basic addition and subtraction etc., but there's no way she would comprehend what goes on in year three here and I'm doubting it will be much different in another country.

In the meantime, we've also just found out our son will be pushed into year one, rather than starting in reception, even though his birthday is 13 August. He hasn't done any formal schooling in Australia as he wouldn't start here until January 2012. He knows only a few letters, though he's interested and engaged. We're going to try to fight for late entry (late! by 13 days?!), but apparently this is rarely awarded.

Gah!

Hoping to hear of anyone who has been through anything like this (and hopefully come out on the other side with kids who aren't rocking back and forth in a corner).

If you are only going to be here for 18 months, you may want to consider home-educating them for the time you are here. If you are coming for one parent to work, then the other parent could use the time to really get to know the UK (or that corner of it, at least).

There is loads going on in and around Cambridge in the home ed scene (so I understand) and you could make contact with a local email list now. If you post on the home ed board, you'll get more specific advice. There is also a post about finding other home educators which I'll go and bounce.

If there's any way you can afford them to go into independent school you can put them down a year. We did for that very reason with our eldest - 19th August b-day, born prematurely, severe SALT with associated severe social problems but still the council would't budge.

There will probably be other kids entering Y1 not having done reception, coming from various other European countries where schooling starts later. And he will likely be fine.

Your DD does sound more of a concern. By Y4 children are expected to be able to read and write. However the UK school system is very good at managing kids who are at diff levels. Precisely because they don't hold kids back there will be kids of all sorts of levels in her class.

My DD is in Y3 and is working at a Y1 level, and it's all fine. Nor is she the only one :(

So basically, the UK system is set up to cope with kids working at a huge range of levels. The teacher is expected to provide appropriate work for everyone and is never allowed to leave someone behind - instead the teacher has to teach them at their level.

If you choose your school carefully ( one that is very good with SEN rather than one that gets great SAT results) they will be very able to cope with both your kids.

It really isn't nearly as bad as it seems from reading MN :)

This feature of not holding kids back and instead teaching them all at their own level I think is one of the truly great things about the UK Ed system.

I think the key here is the adititude of the school - but they really are used to dealing with a wide range of abilities in one class - on this site lots of people have said about 2 year range in typical class
Personally Ithink in general children are happier and its more normal for them to be with their age range and then get extra help

but you will also be up against which schools have spaces - I am just moving to Cambridge - there is a fair amount of movement in and out but there is not garentee you will get in a paticular school

I would also encourage you to not panic. In my DCs classes their have been children starting in year 1 with no prior schooling, starting at various times with little or no English, and at wide ranges of ability. I would want to look for a school with a flexible approach, ideally well resourced in TAs (and maybe special need teachers).
So it might not be the top of the league table, but is caring and focussed on the individual.

I'd recommend my kids school but its not in Cambridgeshire, but I'm sure you'll find one there.

Hi.
My kids are in a stare primary in Cambridgeshire.
The school operates a pretty flexible system for streaming kids by ability and uses mixed age group classes. So for example ds1 is yr 1 and is in a mixed yr1 yr2 class but does reading stuff in a class that is almost entirely yr 2. The same works in reverse with some yr1age kids spending time with reception kids. It is all pretty fluid. Their main class stays the same but their teach group vary according to what the particular child needs. I'm pretty impressed tbh.

I guess what I'm trying to say is while they will be classified for admission strictly according to age, there is often flexibility within the school to make sure they get the right level if teaching.

Sorry for crap typing btw :(

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for your replies -- I really appreciate it! Am feeling a whole lot better now that everyone feels there is quite a multi-age approach. Think I will still try to get our son to start in reception because there is less than a two week age difference. May as well have a crack at trying, I guess.

We have spoken to quite a few heads of schools and a couple of them have been so nice. Offord, in particular -- they are so amazingly lovely there and have the perfect multi-age approach, small school, composite classes etc., but family-sized rentals in the area are pretty much non-existent. It's proving very difficult to find the right rental in the right catchment, especially as we'll only have one car, which will go with my husband to work. Too scared to live in Papworth Everard and drive the kids to school elsewhere as we may end up at the school there which seems only just okay. Have emailed the centralised admissions office a lot working out which schools have spots in all kinds of years and am sure the guy we have been speaking to there is well over us by now!

We did look into going to international school, but it was hideously expensive for two kids, plus we need to continue to pay some of their fees in Australia to hold their spots here. Homeschooling, or distance education (from Australia) isn't really an option either as I work from home and I'd also be likely to throttle my kids if I had to teach them, lol. I was really hoping to give them (the family, really), the whole experience. Small village, walk to school (at the same school, which we won't have in Australia as they go/will go to single sex schools), period house, lots of 'real' English people around etc.. It probably sounds a bit twee to you guys, but it's a big deal to us

Anyway, thanks so much again for your comments. If anyone has anything else to add, I would love to hear it

Hi.
This really is a good part of the uk for primary schools.
We are pretty close to the places you mention and most of the schools near us are lovely. :)