Moving from Northern Irish School System to English HELP!!

[Joleenshaw85]

We are looking to relocate from Belfast to Chester as a family, my husband is currently working there at present and dependant on myself obtaining a job there we would all relocate.

We have a 14 year old son who is currently in year 10 in a Secondary school in Belfast who would be due to start his G.C.S.E years in September 2019.

I am looking for some information on how easy it is to move from the Northern Irish System to the English System. Has anyone experienced this?
Here in Belfast I would just contact schools in the area I live and see if they have spaces. I think this is different in England though Do we countact the Education Authority. Do we have any say in which school he gets or do they just allocate him one? As this is the start of his GCSE's I would like to pick a school on subjects offered.

We would ideally be looking to move upon completion of his year 10 in Belfast in June, however as I’m aware English school years end in July would he ok to just take up a place in a new school in September?

Any help with this is greatly appreciated we are kind of in the dark here with the systems being so different.

Sorry I know that I mean the sense of urgency that you can’t move once the gcse years begin.

Oh, yes, I understand what you mean now.

And on that note, when people say that schools just won't accept a pupil into year whatever, what actually happens? If the parents had to move to England and didn't have the option of staying in N Ireland, and the child can't get a place in any school, what happens then? Do you get prosecuted for not ensuring your child is obtaining an education, even though it's beyond your control?

I agree with peachgreen - I wouldn't be moving him now. We returned to NI from England for the very reason that we didn't want our children in the English school system. I used to teach there (admittedly not in a great area) and nothing would have convinced me to put the children in that system - we were in a first school/middle school area. We have never regretted that decision. They have friends who have also moved here from England and Scotland and none of them ended up in the year group they should have been in had they stayed in England and Scotland. One boy was a full school year older than the others. It's not a straightforward move and one I would avoid if possible - meaning that out of all the times to move this is not it.

You need to phone the local authorities to see if they would be prepared to place him a year lower. Starting in year 11, which would be his normal year group, would be awful.

Alternatively can you afford private for a couple of years?

isabelle I don’t know about England but in Scotland a catchment school have to take a mid-year pupil in unless they are at capacity.
I don’t think it’s ok to make the OP and her dh live apart for two more years (and the child to hardly see his dad) to avoid a change of school on the basis that NI ones are so much better. I know the English school system has problems but it is educating a lot of young people successfully!

yay op ring up tomorro and see what you can find out.

Remember the year he is in is what we in England call year 9, in a lot of schools in England (tho by no means all, sadly) he would not have started GCSE courses yet, tho he would have chosen subjects by now, or just about.

So you want him to go into his next year, which here would be yr 10, ideally at a school that starts GCSE courses in yr 10 not yr 9. You need a school to approve him being out of year but maybe it's more possible than some of us here think. Good luck!

Thanks for everyone's help. I feel I have a bit of a better understanding now what I need to ask when contacting the LEA

I know a lot of posters say schools won’t do it, but I teach in an ordinary state comprehensive in England, and we always have kids out of year. I can’t actually think of the last time i had a year 11 class where every kid should have been in y11. I have 2 this year in one of my groups that should be in y12, there may well be several others across the year group.
Certainly for something like moving from a different educational system we would be happy to put them in the correct school year in educational terms rather than strict age group.
We really can’t be the only school that does this.

Part of the confusion is because the school year cut-off date is 2 July in NI, where it is 1 September in England. Technically your son would be one of the youngest in the year above where he is now (Y10 England/Y11 NI). You need to check he can join the year below or he'll be going inhalf way through his GCSEs (which is also a 2-year course in England - or meant to be anyway )