Moving back to Scotland/schools

[soundsys]

Hello

We're planning to move back to Scotland (Glasgow, probably West End) and trying to figure out the best time to do it for school, as have 3 in English primary and obviously the terms/school years don't directly line up...

If the school year starts mid-August, then that seems sensible but then I saw somewhere they start the next year's curriculum before the swimmer holidays... when I was at school that was only the case in secondary. My main priority is them starting at the same time as others and being able to make friends - I'm less worried about academics as they're still quite young and I'll have time to spend catching them up if needed .

So any insight or thoughts very welcome, please :)

Also my youngest will have done reception year in Scotland so logically would go into primary 2 but as she's a September birthday I could defer her so she starts in P1. Which feels sensible in terms of her starting with everyone all new together but I'm not sure if it will feel like repeating a year? I guess probably one to discuss with the school or does anyone have any advice? 🙏

Ah sorry for typos! Swimmer holidays = summer holidays and I meant my youngest will have done reception year in England

It's only in secondary school that they start the following year's curriculum at the end of the previous year - June so for the last 4 weeks or so.

Re your youngest - we had a family who came up from England whose son had done reception. They insisted he go straight into P2, despite the school advising against this. He struggled and by the time he'd reached P4, the parents asked for his to repeat P4 as he wasn't ready for P5.

Thanks @RaraRachael

That's really interested about the reception to P2 thing. I'd prefer her to go into P1 but thought it might be frowned upon but sounds like the opposite is true!

I wouldn't defer a September born who has done reception unless they struggled. I'd be surprised if West end primaries don't have a lot of movement with the proximity to the University. Probably including a few from England (and other countries)...

The syllabus doesn't seem to have a fixed start and end point from what I've been able to tell in the 4 years we've been in Scotland, lots of differentiation within classes more than in England.

My DD is August so had to go into P1 after reception. Academically she was ready for P2 but socially is definitely the lower year. She's been in a composite with the year above from the beginning until this year (going into P5).

What age will your youngest be in the September after you arrive? In theory p1 starts are 4.5-5.5 but in reality with so many deferrals there are very few 4 yr olds. If she turns 5 that September then p1 is definitely the right choice imo for p1 but also to be the “right” age for clubs and sports and secondary transition.

If she's September born and has only done reception, then P1 is the correct year for her to go into and wouldn't even count as being deferred

Does she turn 5 in September?

Children who turned 5 since March this year will be starting P1 in August.

Technically, if they've not turned 5 by the time term starts they can defer for a year: common for January and February birthday and becoming more common for November and December (and earlier ) birthdays now that you don't have to fight for nursery funding (previously November/December birthdays would only get nursery funding if the nursery agreed).

She'll be 5 this September so one of the oldest in her reception year in England. So next September she'll be turning 6 so she would be in P2 by age? Starting P1 at almost 6 feels old but I think does happen?

(I'll admit I'm finding it a bit confusing!)

@soundsys she'll be 11 months older than my DD was when she started P1 then...

Most sports have their own cut offs, most are 1 Jan with Athletics currently being 1 September. From FB football is calendar years.

She should be starting P1 as one of the middle age group.

If she were to start in P2, she would be leaving school, having done all all 6 possible years at secondary aged only 16

Ds started ds (as standard ) aged 4. His birthday is 10 September. He did S6 (even though in Scotland you can go to Uni after S5) and started Uni when he was still 17. Missed the drinking (in pubs ) of Freshers Week and turned 18 on the first day of lectures.

There are 7 years of Scottish Primary and 6 years at secondary. Nat 5 (GCSE equivalents) are sat in S4 (=Y11), Highers in S5 (after which technically a young person can go to Uni) and Advanced Highers (= A Levels) in S6.

So both "systems" have 13 years of formal schooling (since reception is an optional year).

Because of the 6 month difference in cut-off dates, it's easier to think of P1 as a cross between Reception (which doesn't exist in Scotland) and Y1. Thereafter, P2 = Y2 and so on, although in Scotland we start counting the years again in secondary, so S1 = Y8.

Sorry - got confused - so you'd only be moving next year? So next year, she would go into P2 and be in the same age range as all her class mates.

Ok. So yes, it would be unusual for a child to turn 6 in the September of p1. The oldest might turn 6 in Nov/Dec if they’ve had good reasons to defer and regularly there are some in January (no reason required). So I’d say you’d be looking for p2 entry. My son is late August born and around the middle in age of his year.

It used to be that if your child was a January/February birthday then you could defer their school start until the following year. Now anyone is allowed to defer and there is actually quite a trend for keeping children back until they are 5 (some almost 6). It's become particularly popular in middle class areas so I imagine a school in the west end will have a few children the same age as your child.
I'm a teacher and a parent and if it was my child I would find out if the Primary One class is play based and then decide if this is what will be best for her or if she is reading for more formal lessons. There is a huge difference between schools and how they structure classrooms and lessons (don't start me 😛) so I'd probably find out more about the specific school she'll be attending before making my decision.

Thank you that's really helpful! Will definitely contact the school directly

Yes sorry, just trying to plan ahead! Would be cutting it a bit fine for her to start this year I think 😁

We did a similar move at a similar stage, and chose the Easter holidays to move - the holidays aligned quite well, and my reception to P1 child had a few weeks to get used to the new school, and check they were ready for p2 after the summer. They fitted in well and was in the ‘middle’ group for reading and writing in p2, so definitely no struggles about keeping up.

It was quite challenging finding the right property in the west end, and timing it into meet the school term dates, but that is a whole other advice thread!

Oh now there's an idea! For some reason o had it fixed in my head it had to be over the summer but that could definitely work!

(But yes finding a property and getting everything to align is a while other challenge!)

A nearly 6 year old who has been in Reception really won’t need to defer unless there are additional needs involved. I wouldn’t worry at all. She’ll settle right in.

Age 5 in September would be a P1 in Scotland. 👌🏼 Not deferred. Reception and P1 are not equivalent.

You can now Defer the first day of school in August birthdays to December. It would be worth speaking to the school.

I worked in a P1 class where a P2 came through for literacy and maths as they had moved from a country where he was still too young for school. But he caught up quickly.

The school I currently work in has children who arrive from all over the world and our support for learning teacher assesses where they are up to and arranges for them to be put where appropriate. We have had the parents who are furious that their 4 year old has to come to nursery and not school and reception like they thought would happen because of the February cut off. But they soon come round.

I’ve taught in England and Scotland and can assure you that Reception and P1 are more or less equivalent especially with Scotland becoming more playbased.

An Easter move would also mean they would get a decent summer holiday. If you wait until the end of the English summer term they may only get three weeks.

I agree with this advice . Your children will get to do all the fun things that happen in the summer term in primary and will have about 10 weeks of school with two holiday weekends before the summer hols .

But honestly your main problem will be finding somewhere to live, everything else will have to fit around that.

I'd be very tempted to rent to break the chain as we found being in the English system did not make our offer in Scotland particularly desirable.

We moved at Easter (but in peak COVID...) and it worked well for us.

I hadn't thought of how short the summer holidays would be with moving at the end of the English state school term! We're on the same timetable as Glasgow and go back in exactly a week (couldn't come soon enough!!!)

Renting is a good idea . The west end is a very big area with very different schools , it takes some time to get to know it and decide where you would like to live.

5 in September means she should go into P1 and will be middle of the age range.