Moving to Glasgow from NZ with 16yo

[Tinofcurses]

I posted something similar in Education, but someone suggested I might get more info here.

I have tons of questions...

We're planning on moving to Glasgow from NZ at the end of 2020. ds will be 16.5 by then. He will have completed year 11 in early Dec 2020, with 2 more years of school to go if we stayed here. I'm thinking he should probably go into S4 in January, and then carry on from there.

Does that sound right/possible? Will he be super old compared to the rest of his year? If so, does it matter? How does the secondary school system work anyway? I went to school in England about 500 years ago, and ds has only been in the NZ system so far, so I'm clueless.

Also, any thoughts about which parts of Glasgow to look at? We're looking for an inclusive, mixed, non-catholic school, and plenty of shops, cafes and places to walk a dog. Ideally fairly central, or at least with great public transport (no car).

We'll be renting initially, and then wanting to buy a 2 bed flat or house with a budget of around 200-220,000 (is this realistic? I have no idea).

Actually, another property related thing...Do flats for sale in Scotland have rules about pets? I know it can be difficult to find a place to rent with a dog, but is it generally ok if you buy? We will be bringing our dog, but she will stay with my parents at first if we can't find a rental property with her.

Sorry, I did warn you I have tons of questions!

Your son will be ok in a private but not public school, unless he can stand up for himself. For the money you want to spend you can probably get a dodgy 2 bed flat or house.

Dodgy house or dodgy neighbourhood? Or both?

I'd definitely spend more if I had it.

"For the money you want to spend you can probably get a dodgy 2 bed flat or house."

For 200 to 220?? You are having a laugh. You can get a three bed in the west end for that.

It's Glasgow, not a war zone. He will be fine in a public school- no martial arts training required. And for your money- I'd not say your compromising safety - this again doesn't look like he'll need a security detail to live here......

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/fullscreen/image-gallery.html?propertyId=83724059&photoIndex=0

Your budget for a flat is fine- do you have a specific area in mind? Any opportunity to come over before the move and scope out a few schools?

We won't be able to come over before the move, but I have family in Glasgow and nearby who can hopefully do a bit of looking around for me.

He'll be fine in a state school (i.e. not a private school), I can't think why a PP would say otherwise.

When's his birthday (roughly!) ? If he's 16 in September-December 2020 then he'd be in year 11 here, if he was 16 before 1st September then he'd be going into year 12 - the 6th form - to do A levels if he wants to go to university or going to college to do A levels or something vocational.

Some 6th forms are selective, e.g. they might ask for the equivalent of 5 GCSEs at what used to be called grade C or above (they are now grade 1-9 with 9 being the highest so I guess about a 5/6 or above fo 6th form) but that's not all state schools - some give an entry grade to discourage the ones who aren't really at the academic level to do A levels unless they are really likely to crack on with the work and put the effort in.

Good luck with the move. There are some lovely areas of countryside round Glasgow but it's not a patch on what you have got in NZ.

I would say think extremely carefully. Your son has no experience of living in Scotland. It will be a massive shock to him, especially at that stage in his final two years. He will not find it easy to make friends and state schools can be very rough. It doesn’t sound like you can afford private schooling. Personally your budget is very low . You will have to look in less desirable areas. Having a dog in a flat will piss your neighbours off and won’t be great for the dog. Very few landlords will allow pets in flats either.

Remember there is an offers over system here. You can expect to pay a lot more than asking price for somewhere decent with reasonable interest.

I really think you need to think much harder about all this. You could move here and find your son is utterly miserable. I would wait until he’s finished school and then he could apply for university here.
How well do you know Scotland?

Also are you living in a city at the moment? If not he will have to contend with the shock of moving from an outdoorsy laid back culture to the middle of a busy stressful city. Bear in mind there is a huge drugs culture in Glasgow too. Just saying...

OP, this might be useful -

www.glasgowist.com/scottish-school-league-tables-2019-glasgow-exam-performance-revealed/

I wouldn't move from NZ to Glasgow if you paid me without a very good reason but that's a reflection on NZ and not Glasgow. Take the time to find the right area and the right school and there isn't any reason why it'll be awful.

I have thought carefully about this. All our family is in the UK. My parents are retirement age, and I'd like to be closer to them. We had originally planned to move back once ds finishes school, but I've realised he'd be classed as an international student for fees because there's a 3 year residency requirement. We either need to move back now or wait until ds finishes uni and hope my parents are still around and ds still wants to move.

I don't think the culture shock will be too bad. We live in Wellington at the moment (admittedly, not a huge city), and we don't see a lot of the countryside. My work is very busy and stressful, and ds is in a high school with 300ish students in his year (and lots of drugs apparently, although I'm pretty sure ds has so far kept away from it).

I lived in Edinburgh for about 10 years, and maybe going back there would be a better move.

Scotland is so much better than NZ in so many ways. Go for it OP, you won’t regret it. (Your son will thank you forever!)

Some very weird responses here. Including advice about English school years not Scottish.

If he wants to go he’ll be fine. Does he currently go to Wellington College or Wellington High or Rongatai?

The biggest problem with the move will be the weather. Scottish winters are very hard to adjust to.

Then the other problem is arriving in Dec which is half way through the school year. I can’t think how to compensate for that at this age.

But I think you’re right to complete Y11 in NZ.

If he goes into S4 in Jan 2021, will he have much catching up to do? Will he have missed exams and assessments?

We did talk about leaving earlier, but ds felt pretty strongly that he wanted to complete the whole of year 11 here. He's at Wellington High, which has been perfect for him. I'm not sure we'd find something so perfect in Scotland.

So far, ds seems excited about the idea. He makes friends very easily, and he has some friends who are new to his school who have fitted in well, so I don't think he's bothered about that side of it. He's more concerned about getting into uni after school, and about how the dog will cope with the flight.

How is your son going to have a chance to visit schools to make a decision?
I agree with the poster who said you couldn’t pay her to move from No to Scotland. I agree. I don’t agree either he’ll necessarily be fine.
A Spanish friend of mine has a son who was determined to move back to Edinburgh to go to secondary school from Spain. It was a total disaster.His mother took him back to live with her in Spain after appalling bullying left him in fear for his life and refusing to go to school.
16 is a sensitive age. I just wouldn’t take the risk. He’s happy and settled. Don’t rock the boat.

One option is Shawlands Academy is a non-denominational secondary with a huge range of students with international backgrounds and a good reputation.

Your budget would easily get a nice 2 bed flat in Shawlands or nearby, and if you went a little further out (somewhere like Cathcart/Simshill) you might stretch to a house. More cafes etc in close proximity Shawlands/Battlefield but Linn Park is very popular with dog walkers.

www.rightmove.co.uk/s6p/87110273

www.rightmove.co.uk/s6p/87125498

No issues with pets in purchased properties generally speaking, although if there is a factor for the flats (essentially a management agent) it's worth double checking as I did once live somewhere that had restrictions on pets even for owners!

As PP said, school years in Scotland are different to the rest of the UK. If your son will be 16.5 at the end of 2020 I take it he was born summer 2004, which would put him in the middle of S5 at the end of next year. This is the main exam year in Scotland, when students sit their Highers, so would be a tricky time to join. I would suggest reaching out to some schools you are considering and just asking what they advise, Glasgow has a reasonably high level of students leaving/joining for all kinds of reasons so I am sure they would be happy to help!

There are lots of areas in Glasgow that would suit your requirements, but I love the South Side so I'm biased!

Sorry, there were paragraphs when k typed that

There are paragraphs when I look at it!

If the school years lined up this would be such an easy move, but I think it's going to be tricky. ds is super smart, but I don't know whether he could catch up in half a year. I was thinking he'd go back into S4, but would he be too old?

If you can go to Edinburgh then do that or even Midlothian which is cheaper but really easy to get into Edinburgh. Having lived in Wellington and Edinburgh they are about the same size

As a teacher I would agree that going back into S4 would be ideal. The pupils in S4 will be preparing for their nat 5 exams in May but he could join the school and follow the work without sitting the exams so that he was at the right level for starting his Highers in S5. My kids returned for Australia to Scotland and it is tricky as the school years are not aligned. It was easier for them as it was primary but but I always think best to go back in school years rather than forward. Gives them time to settle.
Many pupils move into schools from abroad without concern. If your son is sociable and willing to do it then I am sure you can make it work.

At that stage in 5th year they would already be doing prelims so catching up would be pretty impossible I would think.

The general rule for deferring is that Jan/Feb (and occasionally Dec) birthdays can automatically defer, but I think you would be able to make a case for your DS given the circumstances.

Starting mid S4 would present its own challenges as they would also be gearing up to sit Nat 5 exams but this would be preferable I think. If your son will have completed Y10 in NZ it might just be repetition in some subjects as I think they are about the same level?

I would definitely reach out to some schools, the secondaries in the West End near the University will have probably have plenty of experience with academic's kids arriving at various points, so they might also be a good place to look for advice?

I don’t think Glasgow and Wellington are that different that I’d expect him to be unable to settle.

Good luck! And you’re right Wellington High is a fabulous school.

I genuinely don't know what some PP's are on about. Yes there are some rough areas in Glasgow but with your budget you can easily get a flat in a nice area with decent schools.

Whereabouts are your family as I would say that should probably be your best base then look for places close by?

I do agree with the PP who recommended Shawlands (3miles from the city centre) and the areas around it in the Southside as a good choice. Largely young professionals, mixed with some families in tenement flats with good access to the city centre. Shawlands Academy has a decent reputation and there are loads of great bars/coffee shops/restaurants without having to travel. Our two bed flat, massive rooms and high ceilings, has just been valued at around £170k so well within your price range.

A lot of people with children in the Southside move to East Renfrewshire (Clarkston/Giffnock/Newton Mearns) for the schools. Its further out (about 6 miles from Glasgow centre) but because several of the schools are consistently within the top 10, its pricier. In my opinion Mearns doesn't have as good transport links as it is a bit more spread out and you'd probably need a car, but Giffnock and Clarkston have pretty central train stations which are about 15/20mins from Glasgow and both have some nice bars and restaurants, although not as many as Shawlands. There are not as many flats in these areas but you should be able pick one up within your budget. Three bed terraced or semi-detached houses, of which there are many, dependent on condition could be doable - lots of older people so think swiftly carpets and avocado bathrooms - but tend to be upwards of £250k.

This thread is such a roller-coaster. Someone else will be along in a minute to tell me it's a terrible idea and I'm ruining ds's life.

For the record - ds makes friends ridiculously easily (I don't understand because I have literally no friends) and wants to move.

My parents are in Berwickshire, on the coast. Which is not exactly close to Glasgow, but they'd be much closer than they are now. I have cousins in Glasgow who I will bother with questions for the rest of the year. I'm not sure exactly where they are, but likely somewhere far out of my price range.

Shawlands is sounding good. I will contact Shawlands Academy after Christmas

I'm only a few hours away from Glasgow and I love NZ and have family in NZ - want to just do a straight swop?

I've no real advice sorry OP, but just want to say very best of luck