US Middle School to UK Secondary School

[Spree]

Hi

Not sure if I should be posting this here or in the Living Overseas section. My DS is in Yr6 at a British International school (we live abroad). Next September, he will move to secondary school and I had hoped we would be back in the UK for this but it doesn't look like it's happening (yet).

We have an American curriculum school very near us so he could go into Middle School (but in a different system) or he could go a British curriculum International School a bit further away.

I have visited both schools and prefer the American school but I am worried about the differences in curriculum and how DS will fit back into a UK curriculum when we move back (probably in a couple of years). It is likely that he will go a selective grammar school in the UK when we return.

I'd like to hear from anyone whose children have moved from US Middle School to UK curriculum and whether there were gaps, if they were behind etc as this would really help me decide.

Thanks

Bump

Umm.
Well I ended up in the UK (from the US) to do my A-levels due to my dads work.

Honnestly - the first year was horrible.

Not just the curriculum but the breath vs depth. the US is system is more wide than the british system.
The way I was taught varied greatly

I went to a small private school and that did help - getting me into the british system -
That said it was propably the best time to move what with choosing subjects etc
But it was a shock - I was taught all through school to study some subjects right the way though (math, language/humanity etc) and was used to 'electives' and AP classes.

It was definatly a shock.

So yeah the first year not so good but about half way through settled down and actually found it suited me more (sciences and math and sport not my strong point in states I would have had to do them which would have draged me down etc).

I also stuggled with the ideas of not having to 'pass the year' not point average and doing big exams and the system of getting into uni but that probably goes beyond the stage your DS is at. if he is going into grade 6. (junior high)

We are thinking of letting him do Middle School grade 6 to grade 8 and then moving back to UK to start the GCSE syllabus. (I wouldn't change curriculum if I felt both schools were as good but right now, feel that the American school has a better pastoral feel)

Many people have told me the same as you have especially for "A" levels vs US system - that in "A" levels you do fewer subjects in more depth.

I am hoping that is not the same with the GCSE where you're still expected to do about 8 - 13 subjects.

Thank-you for your response.

My experience is yrs ago in the 70's so maybe not relevant.
I moved from grade 8 in canada to the equivalent in the UK ,for a yr as my father was doing a sabbatical.

I found it very hard , esp in maths. Both my elder brothers ,grade 9 and 11 found the transition hard. It did our education no favours really .Younger brother in grade 6 found it easy.
If I was thinking of doing what you are I would keep your child in the british system if that is what they are going to be coming to in the future.

I haven't been in your exact situation, but I would say that if the likelihood is that you will be back in the UK by the time he is due to take GCSEs, it would be much easier for him to be following a British curriculum before that.

I know that work on the GCSE syllabus in most subjects doesn't officially start until year 10, but there is an increasing trend (specially at selective/private schools) to take one or two subjects early, so for example DS who is now in yr9 at an independent school will be taking French and maths early, and I think his first French GCSE modules are actually later this year. His set started on the GCSE maths syllabus last year (yr8).

Even if they are not taking subjects early, the GCSE work does build on topics covered in years 7/8/9, so he would have a lot more catching up to do if he had missed those years.

only 3 grades? keep him in the british system - the jump to GCSE is hard enough add in the massive change from US to UK system - subject wise on paper may seem similar but is actual it is different.
Personally having done it (not that long ago) I would try to avoid it as much as possible - jumping around isn't good.

Depends on the schools you specifically have to choose from. Being in the UK system will do him no good if the teaching is 20 years out of date/ he hates the place/ they don't really cover the same material as in the UK/ it's simply a shite school.

The education in some international schools can be very poor, so I'd be minded to send him to the US school if it's much better. If there's not much in it, I'd stick with the system he's likely to continue in.

What does he want? Two or three years is a long time to be miserable, if all your buddies have gone to the US school, and being abroad can be hard enough.

Could he do IB? (That is, is it offered where you are and could he join an IB school in the UK.)

Thank-you for your comments.... I really needed to hear them. I think at the end of the day, pastoral nature versus the practical curriculum isn't a good enough reason to move him.

He actually prefers the British curriculum school. Although I will probably now need to go start a thread on how to keep expat kids grounded (too many stories from the British school about over privileged kids!)

There isn't a MYP for the IB offered here although the British school offers both "A" Levels and the IB (but my intention is to be back in the UK well before then!)

He prefers the British School, he's very sporty and they have quite a good sports programme but at the older years, I'm not keen on the "jock / over privileged kids binge-drinking scene" (then again, I suppose I would have to deal with that in the UK too)

The American school is small, very pastoral, has a good music programme and because it is Christian in nature, they have quite "strict" moral values. We are Christian but not regular church goers at all.

To keep him grounded, repeat at regular intervals: 'We can't afford that'. Also make him do the washing up and Hoover & clean his own room (even if you have some combo of maid/nanny/cleaner who could do it for him).

Drugs and drinking are huge problem in independent schools in the UK, too (before anyone jumps on that, I'm mentioning indies b/c her DS is going to a fee-paying school abroad!). But the money and general overseas sense of privilege or being beyond the norms of society can be an issue.

the whole -drinking/drugs/privileged stuff does go on in private british schools
but having experienced both the US 'jock' scene in high schools is far worse with those sort of things than in the UK. (and is far far more clique-y - said from someone who was in the 'jock' scene in the states - in a very american high school movie sort of way)

Okay, just a reality check but if you think you are going to parachute him into a Grammar at year 9, how possible is this? Most Grammar's are pretty full and do not take additional pupils very often (even those from overseas).
But then is your son going to come back to the State or the Private system?
Children do adapt from all kinds of other school systems, but whether its ideal is a matter of judgement.
I would also be careful about an American "Christian" based school, and that is as a Christian; maybe not as much if it is Catholic (or I was in the US and it was Episcopalian).

Peppercondria, you are so right.

I have to say the whole teen immortality attitude exists in US high schools too, and the more privileged the children the wilder it gets. I heard some stories about the local Catholic HS that made my toes curl (tuition $11,000 pa, culture - jock and very gung ho) and the public HS (culture - arty and very liberal upper mc school district) where my oldest DCs went had its fair share of partaying too.

I am a great fan of the American system, the grade point average as opposed to everything hanging on the final exam, and I think the breadth of the education is a tremendous thing, especially for the academically able who can do AP level subjects (I went to school in Ireland where the curriculum is also a broad one). I feel the British system lets students specialise too early. I think allowing masses of students to drop maths is crazy in this day and age when American college students are required to pass a certain level of maths before they can drop it and the top universities require quite a high level of every single student admitted. Is there any way you could keep him at the US system school and then send him to an American expat school in the UK?

I don't know how relevant this is to your situation but I went to an American international school back in the 80's for grades 7/8. When I came back to the UK (gcse year) I sat my common entrance exams for an independent school (I had to board as parents still abroad) I failed spectacularly & ended up being put back a year at school which I hated as the American curriculum & the English one I went back to were not compatible. I had been a high achieving student to this point & was in top 5% of year at primary & jnr high, so do think hard about adjusting into a v different way of doing things! (I did love my American school though & was sad to leave.)

We would not be able to send him to an American curriculum school in the UK (none near us).

Good suggestions re: keeping DC grounded, he has to do chores now to earn pocket money .

"the whole -drinking/drugs/privileged stuff does go on in private british schools"

Not just in private schools, OP.

And I was wondering about how you will manage the transfer back to UK. Ae you hoping to go into the state sector? Because if so, you may well find your choice of schools is somewhat circumscribed by availability of places (even if you are Forces/civil servant to whom special circumstances apply you may have have to go to a second or third choice of school: if not, it's anywhere with a place).

My DS1 moved from US Grade 6 to UK Year 7 and he was fine. He went into a prep school, so was a new starter in French. However, he soon caught up and got an A* when he took his GCSE in Y10.

The problem of transferring into the UK system later on is that the curricula really do diverge. He will likely be quite far behind in physical sciences. He will be ahead in other areas, of course, but these may or may not be relevent. MFL is another consideration. Does the middle school do a MFL?

I would be inclined to either go to the British school in the USA, or to an international school on return to the UK, if either option were realistic.

Exexpat,

Modules are disappearing and the current Y9s and below will do all their exams at the end of Y11.

This is only another case study, but I know of another student who came from the US to study in the UK for A levels and he really struggled because in America he was considered to be high achieving / g&t type student, but over here he was really behind and really struggled to keep up. This echoes what other posters have said, so I probably would try to stick to the one educational system if at all possible.

amerryscot - not in my DS's school (independent). He will be doing French and Maths a year early, in yr 10.

Very common from what I know of independent schools, and I have heard of some state schools doing similar. I don't know if the OP is looking at state or private schools when they return to the UK but it is something to be aware of.

It affects all schools doing standard GCSEs. Independent schools are not immune unless they are doing iGCSEs (which have been traditionally linear anyway).

Your DD may be doing her GCSEs a year early (so completing them before the switch to linear), but it is not possible for current Year 9s to do their GCSEs over three years.

By the time the OP returns to the UK, everything will be linear and there will be no modules to juggle/gamble/experiment with.

I didn't understand a couple of things in the posts above.

What's MFL? and what's modules and linear?

We would be looking at returning to state school (grammar) in Northern Ireland (which still has a few state grammars).

It might have the state grammars but can they offer palces to late entrants? As a rule schools that are popular simple would not be able no and you would have to accept what you were offered.

Most state grammar school have a limited number of students per year. The only time new students are admitted is when another student leaves.

At our grammar school if a place becomes available then an all round exam is held for students who want a place. There might be 20 students applying for one place. The student with highest mark gets the place.

It would be good idea to contact the school you intend him to study at on his return so you can understand the admission policy.

MFL stands for modern foreign language.

There is a good chance your child will do Spanish in the US system, but it is not guaranteed in middle school.

The most common languages in schools here are French, Spanish and German. You will want to make sure your child gets to continue with whatever they have been doing, or pick up a language that is new to everyone in Y10 (some schools add in a third language in Y10).

Modular GCSEs means that they take exams up to three times a year over the two year course. Right now, Y11s can take fully modular courses with lots of resits should they not do well.

Y10s can do modular courses but they are limited with resits and have to take 40% of their qualification in June of Y11.

Courses starting next year are linear, which means the only exams are taken at the end of Y11 for 2 year courses.

This is the situation in England and Wales. I don't know if it affects Northern Ireland as I think their Education policy is devolved.

I don't think you really need to be on top of the exam system for your return. There are a few things that you need to be aware of - how specific course differ from the US.

Most subjects will start their GCSE work afresh and not really require too much prior knowledge that he won't already have. For example, he should be fine in English and Maths. To be sure in Maths, make sure he does accelerated or advanced Math in the US system rather than 'college prep'. He should be fine in Biology and Physics, but may not have had any Chemistry. History would probably cover different topics (this is the same for a move within the UK, as it is often up to the interests of the teacher), but he'd be behind in Geography (which is a small subset of 'social studies'). I think he would probably be fine in Expressive and Performing Arts, and be an asset to the school in terms of extracurricular music and drama.

Kids are resilient and can cope with most things, but it is a big ask to transfer at the start of GCSE courses, unless in a small school where he can seriously get individual attention. I just don't think his results will be representative of his potential. An option is to go into Y9 instead of 10 to acclimatise.