High school query

[Mumch]

Hi! We are considering a move back to Glasgow from India. My daughter who is going to be 15 in June will start S4 there. She had done her P1and P2 in Glasgow before we moved back to India in 2010.
She is a bright and quiet child. Plays classical Piano and also is good at swimming and Taekwondo. She has a flair for writing and painting.

What are the possibilities to get admission in a good state school in S4? We will plan to rent an accommodation in a good school catchment area.

Thanks very much.

I think you would need to contact the Council for the schools you are interested in and see what the position is
Where we are in East Dunbartonshire they will find her a place in the local authority but it might not be at the closest/preferred school ,at least not immediately
Which schools are you thinking of

Hillhead is in my mind. Getting an admission in Jordonhill is very difficult I guess....

Have a look at Shawlands Academy. Very ethnically diverse school with lots of kids from all over the world (55 languages spoken ) - so the fact that your dd has been in India won't phase them. There should be space for her - especially as the very fact that there are lots of pupils from other countries means that there is "churn" of pupils.

Lots of good places to rent in Shawlands, Pollokshields, Newlands (and cheaper than the West End ). Strathbungo was apparently in the Sunday Times last week or so as one of the most desirable places to live.

The school has a swimming pool on site and also a good music department. (It encourages more than just academic work: sports, gymnastics, music, art etc are all encouraged).

Ds is in S6 and has done well academically. He's off to Aberdeen Uni with an unconditional. Most years there are people going to Oxbridge/medicine/vet science/law - so it has expectations of its young people.

PM me if you want

For Jordanhill you would need to speak directly to the school
ForP1 entry think the child has to virtually be conceived 'in catchment ' but don't know about later years entry
What is your timescale like
Think you will need a definite address in catchment for your preferred school and given that S4 is an important year you would want her to be able to start at the beginning of S 4(or ideally at end of S 3)

In not in Glasgow, but just to make you aware, some schools do their Nat5 exams over 2 years so will have chosen their subjects at the end of S2. Others do them in one year but the S3s have already chosen and in our school the move into 4th year at the beginning of May giving them 2 months of their subjects prior to the summer holidays. Most schools will move up at the beginning of June regardless but this is less of a milestone if they have already narrowed down in S3.

It may or may not make a difference to when you want to time a move.

Good point about when they start the Nat 5 curriculum. I was also coming back on to say that new timetables are often started in June, even if they only start the Nat 5s in S3.

Shawlands allows 8 Nat 5s and to do so they make their choices in S2, "starting" S3 in the June of their S2 year. Other schools do fewer Nat 5s but take a wider range of subjects to a higher level up to S3 before choosing their Nat 5s for S4. (In theory that allows them to pick them up again in S5/S6 to crash at Higher)

But if your dd is bright and committed, she'll be able to fit in in S4. Maybe she would do one or two fewer Nat 5s - especially if she has an idea what she wants to do for Highers.

It might also be worth getting some of the study guides (eg Leckie & Leckie, Hodder & ?) for the relevant subjects in advance of coming back so she can get a running start.

Schools with lots of international students (like Shawlands, Hillhead, Hyndland) would be used to having people coming in and having to be brought up to speed.