Going from the English system to the Scottish, how does this work?!

[veryextremejumper]

Homeschooled DD is doing her iGCSE exams next year, and we're applying for some private schools for 2019 as she wants to go back to school. But because we live in Scotland the schools start back around August 14th and results aren't out until approximately the 26th? Do children just not move here from the English system?

She can't go without knowing results because she'll be made a conditional offer on them, so would have to leave if she didn't make them, but if she doesn't go until the results are out they'll have to hold a place (which I imagine they won't do!) and she'll miss a really important few weeks of starting a new school!

Also if she doesn't make the grades the school is left with an unfulfilled place and we'd have to apply for a state school place where she'd also have missed weeks! Also fees would be due and we don't know if she can go! I'm so confused.

Does anyone know how this would work?? I feel like I'm missing something obvious!

You need to speak direct with the schools who will be best placed to advise. The schools in Scotland always start there summer holidays in June and back to school mid august. As for results it was always around the 15th or 16th August that results are out in England not late August. You can ask the exam boards to send results to your chosen school and see if they can be sent before the usual release date given your circumstances.

It depends what school you end up choosing. Most of the Scottish boarding schools don't start till very end of August or the first week of September. They will have encountered this many times before so will have a plan of action.

Thank you!! I'll contact the schools about it :)
I'm sure the boarding ones will have definitely encountered this before.

DD is doing the edexcel GCSEs and as far as I could tell they results come out quite late august? Maybe different for the AQA?

AQA results will be out on Thursday 23rd August. As an experienced examiner, I would be astounded if the exam board was able to give you results early, as was suggested upthread. Although the actual papers will be marked within 4-6 weeks of the exam being taken, there is a huge amount of 'invisible' work such as grade-boundary setting and borderlining done after that initial marking.

Are you talking about Scottish schools that do GCSEs and A levels or the ones that do nationals and highers?

The English exam schools follow English holidays afaik.

If you are talking about entering her to a school to do 5th and 6th in Scottish highers and advanced highers most schools will have started the curriculum for these in early 2019 eg between feb & May at the latest so if she started in August she’d already be behind.

Also check the ages. Because of the different age cut offs dcs from the English system often move down a year here.

I don't live near any schools that follow the English curriculum sadly or that would be much easier!

Didn't think about them starting the curriculum early, although I know they do switch years so I should've thought of that! One of the websites says they like DC to start when they switch years in May, so that sounds like they don't need the results? Maybe entrance exams instead?

DD would be going back a year in the Scottish system, I hoped private would be more flexible about that. She's currently S4 in the Scottish and Year 10 in English so either goes into S5 or 6 and she wants 2 years to do advanced highers too so S5 is ideal.