Moving schools end year 9

[Kdjf]

Hi

So I'm new to this website but really could do with some advice on moving secondary schools.
Son is in year 9 at local secondary school, appears to be doing well but have had concerns since started that he's not being challenged enough. Barely gets any homework and had a problematic year 9 for teachers in sciences and French (wants to take French as an option in year 10). Is a quiet, shy, bright boy and conscientious, just worry he won't achieve full potential.
Had a look round lovely small independent school nearby as changing to another big secondary school would be too daunting for him. The worry is they have already started GCSE work in all subjects this year whereas he has only started maths, science and geography Gcse work in year 9.
Realise it's not an ideal time to move schools- worry it will do more harm than good to move him and unsettle him now (he's not unhappy where he is) with some work to catch up on that he hasn't learnt yet and they have . If leave him where he is though I think I'll spend the next 2 years worrying about the school and whether he'll achieve what he's capable of.
If we leave him where he is thinking of getting tutor in French and sciences to bring him up to speed in those subjects.
Any advise please! Would be welcomed!

I would leave him where he is and pay for a tutor OP. It will be less disruptive and you will still be helping him.

You might find that he doesn't like the new school or he feels less prepared than the others...and he doesn't need his confidence knocked at this age.

What do the new school say? My DS was offered a place at a very competitive independent school to start in Year 10 and he was behind in some subjects (as we had been overseas) but they did not see it as a problem at all. If the school don't think it is a problem, then I would go for it. If he is bright and conscientious like you say then he will work hard and is able enough to catch up. Unhappy kid = not reaching potential in my experience. I have had one of those and we are struggling to catch up for GCSEs in 3 weeks.

Thanks for replies so far. The new school said although it's not ideal he could catch up.
He's not unhappy where he is just not sure he'll achieve full potential.

He’ll still have two years to catch up, not every school starts GCSE work in year 9 but it’s the same exam or similar at the end isn’t it

I moved at the same time and started y10 at an indie school. Best decisiom my mum made. I went from expected mediocre GSCE result expectations (lucky to achieve 5 a-c) to 10 x A* - B and 1 C grade. He will settle in very quickly.

Gosh what an awful post. Ignore every gramatical, spelling and structure error! 🙈

I moved at the start of year 11, thought it was the end of the world but I ended up probably doing better than I would have done at the school before

If the new school is so great Id wonder why they'd started GCSEs a year early, do they sit a year early too? Not the sign of a school that challenges bright children ime - round here its the weaker schools that do this.

Barbarian Mum. I disagree - our local top scoring grammar school starts GCSE studies in year 9. Their results are phenomenal.
Kdjf. We did exactly what you did with our DS. Never looked back. His new independent school gave him lots of work to complete over the summer inbetween the school changeover. Ask the independent what specific plan they would have for your DS to help him catch up. You could leave him where he is but you need to start asking some questions, such as would he be allowed to take all the Higher level papers at GCSE (there are also Foundation papers where I believe the highest you can score is grade 5, or possibly 6)? Do Year 11 students generally stay on at his current school or is there a mass exodus at 16? They should also have info on their website showing the 18 year old leavers' destinations. We never tutored as our DS was getting all he needed at the independent in years 10-11. Who wants to go to school all day and then work with a tutor in the evenings/weekends? If you did this would his present school be supportive as he would need to be given higher level work if tutoring improved his performance, otherwise he will become very bored at school. Oh, and by the way, in year 10 our DS was getting at least one and a half to two hours homework per night and a good five hours over the weekend. Even in year 9 at his previous school it has been 1+ hour per night.

Your grammar is top scoring because it teaches a 2 year syllabus over 3 years. I hope to god the kids there take more GCSEs to make up for the year of education they are otherwise missing.

I believe at new school they have started GCSE's in year 9 as new GCSE's harder and there is more content to learn- from what I can gather many other schools round here are starting gcse syllabus earlier for this reason. Son has started in some subjects where he is but believe examining boards different in these subjects at new school so may be different content to learn in those subjects too 😞.
My understanding is that they sit higher level in most subjects unless beneficial for child to sit foundation at current school.
Results at existing school quite average (progress 8 about 0) and was in needs improvement until this year. New head, but he's not been that proactive when we voiced concerns.
New school is not super academic mind- gets good results but not too pushy and homework about 1-1.5 hours a night from sound of it. Progress 8 about 0.5- know some other schools achieve better but he would know a few children there which would help.
Just concerned about the catching up to do!

Thanks for comments so far.

Slow down BarbarianMum. I didn't say it was "my" grammar school I said it was a "local" grammar school. My DD did not go there.

Kdjf. Yes the new syllabus for GCSEs has a lot more content and no doubt has given schools a headache - cover it over two years, or over three? Your new head at current school may not seem proactive as the poor man has an enormous job to do bringing a needs improvement school up to scratch. The independent sounds interesting - not too pushy - which is the type I prefer. As long as it is a thriving school and by that I mean good finances (you did mention it was small) then you will probably find what we did. Teachers with less pressure on them and so more time to engage with the children to help them catch up, more willingness to spend time after school hours with them. Pupils being able to knock on their office door at lunchtime. Ignore the MN posters who are anti-private. Go with your gut feeling. I did.

What does your DS think?

If the school thinks he can catch up without too much pressure being put on him then I'd move. You don't want him drifting in GCSE years.

You say he's 'not unhappy', that's rather damning with faint praise so it doesn't sound like there's much to keep him there.

If you are going to move him can’t you do it now so he misses out less?

Sorry I wasn't reading properly. I moved my DS half way through Year 10 to a new school. It wasn't ideal but we didn't have much choice. He's not going to do as well as he could in his GCSEs but that's because whilst he is bright, he is not conscientious at all and the school is pretty dire (this is not the competitive independent school I talked about in my last post but another one). He had to catch up in Science but put no effort in at all and it is showing now. However, it sounds like the combination of your DS's attitude and ability plus the school mean he will be fine. Seriously, I would move him.

I think it is hard to move in year 9 unless the child is extremely unhappy which I don't think you indicated. It's so easy to access GCSE curriculum and lessons online to boost their knowledge and fill in any gaps teachers have missed which happens at the best of schools. My DD does this for revision all the time. If the child is motivated and has a supportive home life they can do well anywhere. I would aim to guide him positively through GCSE at his current school. Maybe get him a tutor for a bit if you think he needs the support, but keep him self-motivated. Start looking at 6th forms he might want to move to. That can be a good motivator. But, in the end it's the self-motivation and self-discipline that will be the best. If he is happy socially there, I'd leave him. It's hard being the new kid.

Thanks for all your messages- it's hard knowing what to do for the best as I can see both points of view 😞

I am new to this site but really keen to hear from others about moving school and house for my two teenagers. I have moved down to Wales from Scotland and I will need them to start school and sixth form in Wales.
Not ideal, I know but I am sole breadwinner and my job takes me here. It is also very hard to affect the change with a meaningful discussion because I am away all week whilst they are up in Scotland with their father. Any others who have experienced such a move and how their kids got on would be really useful to hear. Thanks! Jan

You will be better off starting a nee tgread rather than adding different circumstances on one over a year old.

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