Returning to the UK midway through A-levels - is it possible?

[vicomum]

Hello. Anyone had any experience of moving their kids into the UK education system (from abroad) at the end of Year 12? Is it even possible? We've been in Italy for 10 years now. My husband's work is in the UK, and he's having to live there (UK) while I'm here (Italy) with the kids for school. I've wanted to return to the UK for quite a while now, but I want to make sure my desire to return doesn't affect the decision we make (whether to return or not). We've got 3 kids - 1 will hopefully be starting uni here in Italy in September, 1 is 13 (so I don't believe there's much of a problem with him entering the system?). It's our daughter who is 16/17 who is the 'worry'. Sorry for the long post. Any advice greatly appreciated :)

It would be incredibly difficult to start a child midway through either a GCSE course or an A Level course. They would have to start again.

You are not clear whether your DD is currently in the Italian system or the British system, where you will be coming back to, and whether private is an option. And whether she is academic and aiming for a good UK Univesity.

FWIW if she is in the Italian system she is better re-doing Yr 12, perhaps selecting IB rather than A levels. If London, private, and academic, A levels in a year at a tutorial college might work.

Generally though if she wants to continue to a UK University, returning now is not a bad option, though she may find herself working very hard to fill in gaps.

Thanks user187656748. I think I knew what the answer would be before I even wrote the post ;)

Needmoresleep - sorry! My first time on here so didn't want to write too much in my post and bore everyone! ;) She's been in the Italian school system for 10 years, is bi-lingual and very academic (she's at a Classical liceo). We'd be looking at heading back to Dorset. Private wouldn't be an option.

There are private sixth form colleges which take yr 13 transfers for A levels (if your dd is doing A levels, that is) - yes you have to match up the syllabuses but they may have more flexibility about this than most schools because they're more geared up for transfers. It depends where you're moving to as well - would it be London/South East or another largeish city?

What's the position about university fees in England after Brexit for students who have not been resident in UK for the requisite number of years (I think it's three, but not sure!). You may want to check that - although your dd may also be planning to go to university in Italy - in which case you may want to check what will happen to fees if you've moved back to UK? (Not sure what position might be in Scotland either - it may be different again!)

I personally wouldn’t do it. Moving schools within the UK at 16/17 is difficult due to the many different exam boards etc, moving overseas to a new culture and longer school day is going to be a whole lot worse.

Also, students with Italian educations can still go to uni in the UK if they take internationally recognised qualifications. I personally would send the youngest with dad, and then stick around in Italy until the 16 year old is ready for uni.

Sorry, cross-posted and my first paragraph was almost totally irrelevant to your circs! In that case would you be thinking of switching to A levels - in that case the best thing may be to start yr 12 again. But do check with the local state schools that they take 'too old for year' yr 12s - different schools/local authorities/colleges may have different policies.

Also, applications for some places may be underway I think - some closing dates in January (some even already passed, though maybe worth asking them to consider a late app), so may be worth checking that too?

(Btw some private 6th form colleges do offer scholarships so if your dd is very academic you might not want to rule that out entirely?)

Sorry, another thought. If your dd is very academic, and she can move now this minute, some schools might take her to start yr 12 now in January. This would not be easy, as they have covered a lot of ground in first term and tbh I'm aware some schools would say no - but an undersubscribed 6th form/college might be willing to consider it?

Having said that, I think it would be hard going - and may be better just to start again in September.

A friend recently returned from France with a child at the same stage. The boy had not wanted to repeat a year, but when considering the different options decided for himself that it was sensible. Otherwise he risked jeopardising his tertiary education opportunities. He has since found that English school with its extra-curricular etc is more fun and doing a full sixth form has been a good way to reintegrate.

When it came down to it, he would not have been in a good position to apply for university in Yr 13, so would have had to take a gap year anyway. So by starting in Yr 12 and allowing time for the adjustment he gets to University at the same time, better prepared and probably on a more selective course.

I would contact good Dorset sixth forms and see if they would be prepared to take your DD into Yr 12.

Extremely difficult . All A level courses are different with different exam boards . You could Hone school her but that’s really hard as well , you would need to find a teacher basically ( like someone who is a teacher now or just retired ) and then wouldn’t have to sit the exam in a centre . It’s very hard to organise though .
If she’s in the Italian system then it would be really difficult , would need to restart 6th form

A friend took his daughter out of French lycée at this point, for a move to the USA. Regrets it. Daughter did fine, but not as well as she would have done if she'd stayed the extra year and got her baccalauréat first. Her options are more limited as a result.

What does your daughter think about it? My DD is 16 and currently in Y13 equivalent in a French lycée. If I had suggested a year ago that she return to the UK for Y13 I'd have got very short shrift, and she has no interest in UK university courses either (concerned about brexit risk among other things).

Mistigri, top UK Universities are still very popular with EU students, with far more choosing to study in the UK than Brits choosing to go in the opposite direction. DD had quite a lot of friends at the Lycee CDG in London, and only one child returned to France for tertiary education, and only because she failed to get the course she wanted in the UK. Those that did not stay in the UK tended to opt for the US, despite the US not belonging to the EU. The assumption is that employers mainly want to see a good degree. Specifically Britain is a popular destination for academic Italian students, as studying here is perceived as a good foundation for an international career.

Need sure, but young people raised abroad may not see it that way. That's why I suggested asking the teenager concerned for her view. She is nearly an adult after all.

A lot of British kids educated in Europe do prefer to return to the UK for uni - especially if their parents have kept one foot either side of the channel so to speak - but it's not automatic that this will be their preference. A UK degree course would be very low on my DD's list of preferred higher ed courses, for a number of reasons.

OP will know what her DD wants to do. However keeping the door open to an application to an internationally regarded British University would seem a good option.

I suspect it depends on where you are in France. My friend's DC are happy to be home. But part of their reason for moving was that the pervasive low-level racist attitudes to anyone who was not white French became more pronounced post-Brexit. It might have been different if they had been somewhere more cosmopolitan.

DD has said that she does want to go to Uni in the UK. Obviously there's still so much uncertainty with Brexit at the moment, but it would be good to be in our very best position when the time comes for her to go.

another thing to think about is her level of bilinguality.

Has she written essays and done school work in English, or has that all been in Italian?
It may take her a while to get her academic english up to the level of her academic Italian

I think she nerds either re start 6 th form , or finish in italy . What does she want to study ?
I would not be too worried about Brexit .
You do know uni is expensive here , right ?

There’s also an Italian school in London btw and there’s European schools

I wouldn't pay attention to Brexit at the moment. Your concerns are far more immediate. Have you phoned the LA or individual 6th forms to see what options are available to you? Would she be allowed to start Y12 in September?

I think you need to go on a major fact finding mission and draw up a list of concrete options.

My parents turned down a move back to the UK for this reason when my sister was 17. This would have been in the early 90s. I can't remember the specifics but I believe the main problem was my sister had done high school in a system with no GCSE equivalent at 16, so she would have ended up with a bizarre combination of qualifications that would have made university in both countries difficult, and that was if she went back a year and started in her first year of A levels. Does your DD have GCSEs or equivalent?