Moving from England to Inverness with Year 12 & 11 this August 2025

[CrazyWisdom]

Hello lovely people all over the Great Scottish Lands

I got a job in Inverness, which will be starting this April. We have 3 kids currently 16,15 & 7 (Yr 11,10 & 3 in England respectively). The eldest is aiming for Medical School, next is between Medical & Engineering. Both are doing well in schools (Grammar Schools both)

We are getting insane about the best option for our kids and when the best time is to move them and get the family together. We are seeking your kind brainstorming and advice.

Options are: taking into consideration their age will fit with the Scottish system, as they are already one year older than their Scottish peers

1. Move them this July/August 2025: Eldest will have to start Highers, and next will go to S4.
2. Concerns:
3. Slightly a shock to DD in the most important year in her aspiration to compete for Medical school entry. Additionally, her peers would have already started their Highers after they finished S4, and it may be difficult for her to catch up and achieve the required A.s.
4. DS will have finished 1st year of GCSE (but didn't complete it), and he has to catch up with S4 subjects, especially if his peers in Scotland have started the subjects during S3.
5. Wait for a year, and move them in July/August 2026. Eldest has done the first year of A-level and got her Mock exam results, which theoretically can apply to Universities with these grades to get a conditional offer, awaiting final results for A-level. DS will complete his GCSE and start his Highers in Scotland.
6. Concerns:
7. DD either to go down a year to restart her Highers in Scotland or completes her A-level from home with online courses (with huge financial impact), which might not be the most helpful to achieve her aspiration to complete the high grades required.
8. DS will have missed the few weeks of Highers subjects that are being taught to his peers the last few weeks in S4 before they break for the school holidays.
9. Wait 2 years: The worst option for the family psychologically and financially. It would also affect their eligibility for SAAS fund application.

.
We are struggling to decide, as each option has its drawbacks that we have to accept. We need some help with picking the option that would cause the least harm to the kids.

Thank you in advance and waiting eagerly for your kind opinions

Do not do it. No way.

Your easiest and best option is to turn down the job and keep looking for something in England.
The next best option is you move to Inverness & the family stays put. You will need to learn to love Loganair - flies direct from Manchester to Inverness.

Expensive!

Why did you go for the job?

Dad takes the job and moves. Family stay home until a levels are done.

year 11 can move with dad once GCSEs finished, if they want to. Otherwise, year 11 stays in England until end of sixth form too.

@CrazyWisdom does your daughter even want to go to a Scottish University

just go by yourself don’t punish your family and make them move with you

but I think you will be selfish enough and make everyone move with you because you can’t bear to move alone

Wow wow, you can't move the kids now! This is all sorts of bat craziness

The poor kid might want a break after just sitting GCSEs! Wrenched away from friends with no summer hols...I know what my Y11 DC would say to that!

I jest, but it is a very tough decision. Such hard ages to move kids to a different education system. Good luck!

Please don't move the older two children.

As others have said, the best plan is for you to move to Inverness Mon - Fri and your wife and children stay in Preston. It will be tough for you but you can make it work. You can join them by video link for family meal times etc,

OP it is obvious from your replies that you simply will not consider that you should live Mon-fri in Inverness for the next 3 years.

I want to warn you.
teenagers uprooted at this point in their education, and moved a long way away from all their friends are very likely to struggle, drop their grades, and rebel seriously against the parents who made them do it.

You risk alienating your two older kids, and ruining their prospects for uni.

Yet you have consistantly ignored all those who are telling you this, even those with experience of family moves, different education systems and the scottish system.

Please ask yourself, is it worth the risk to your relationship with your older kids?

During my final year of a-levels my parents left their jobs, bought a business moved us away and we had to live in tiny accommodation. I didn't even move school it was about 2 buses and around an hour door to door. But it really badly affected me. Don't do it.

I have a colleague whose parents moved from England to Scotland when he was halfway through A levels. He stayed in England with a school friend's family for year 13. Is something like that a possibility for your older 2? Is there anyone - aunt, cousin, friend - they could stay with?

I wouldn't move anyone until Dad has started the job in Inverness and settled. It would be dreadful to move the family to start with, then hate the job, or fail the probation

Pay for the eldest to do the 2 years of 6th form at gordonstoun. It's the English system with A levels.

The younger ones can transfer into the Scottish system being old in their years.

Op - you don’t have to have lived in Scotland for 3 years to get free uni, just in the uk. You do have to live in Scotland permanently when you start uni

I think so too

Just to point out the Scottish kids go straight from finishing NAT5 exams into the Higher curriculum without a break usually for 3 weeks then the holidays start for 6 weeks so they would get the same holidays they normally get if moving up after they finish exams.

This is a great suggestion. I will definitely look at this school. Thank you for bringing up 👌

I believe that's about £35 thousand per year

Nearly £15k per term???? And that’s just for day pupils…

https://www.studentinformation.gov.scot/students/further-education/nationality-and-residency-requirements

OP still hasn't answered the question regarding them moving to Scotland in order to access free tuition. 😬

Moving kids at that stage is nuts. And it's clearly to save money on fees. But he still wants to be the man who rules the roost!

A few posters have suggested flying between Inverness & Preston - where is the nearest airport to Preston? Train might be a whole lot easier.

Gordonstoun has the current King ex Duke of Edinburgh and possibly current Duke as it ex pupils I don’t think given the circumstances in which they are moving to Inverness it is a possibility even with Bursay

@CrazyWisdom wake up and read the thread not just the odd bit that throws you a lifeline - everyone thinks it is an awful idea, a life altering for your children and in the bad sense to move them. You cannot do it - all of your reasons for not going alone can be worked around (although if you treat your family like your treat this thread…) actually be the father they need and have them stay

Many thanks, everyone for your extremely valuable advice. It is clear what the consensus is, This is exactly why we came to this great forum, so we can get the best advice from great people here.

We went through the posts and had a family discussion yesterday based on the opinions we received here. I believe we will go with what the consensus is. It might take 3 and a half years to get the family together again, but as everyone said, it seems this is the best for the eldest 2.

This is a huge relief that almost everyone is in the same boat, so whatever happens, it would be a destiny. At least the kids know now that we have not taken any decision lightly and we tried our best to get opinions from everyone for what is the best. Thank you again and wish us luck that the kids and ourselves can sail this difficult time for the best of the family.

Have a lovely day ahead 😌

Good luck - but you are making good luck by doing the best by the children

It will be tough at times - but probably mostly for you ( I think you are the one who will be working away ) so look after yourself

Good luck. Well done on be open to not going with your initial plan.

Do keep us posted!