Moving schools

[haras321]

Hi. We are moving to north Yorkshire and kids will be moving schools. 1 in yr7 and 1 in yr10. I'm really worried about yr 10 and finding somewhere where gcses will match. Worried about moving and not being able to find a good school, so many are oversubscribed. What are your thoughts? I am single and have no-one to discuss this with. Thank you.

Do you have to move now? At this point your year 10 child is a third of the way through their GCSE course. In all honesty I think you won’t be able to match up with the right mix of subject, exam board and topic and then they have taught topics in different orders.

Realistically, you won't find somewhere where the GCSEs match - not only are there several boards for each subject, schools have control over which topics they do in many subjects, and in which order they do topics within the courses (so for example both my children are doing eduqas history, but at different schools, and the schools aren't doing the same set of topics, and are doing them in a different order). So there is no way you will find a match.

Is there no way you can let her finish her education where she is?

As others say, this would be a really tough time to move a child. When would you realistically be in the new place? Say it was this summer - that would leave whatever was left of year 10 and then two terms of year 11.

Yes, you might find somewhere that did the majority of GCSE's your child is taking - but it is unlikely that the boards and schemes of work would match.

Take English literature - even if a school did the identical books - there are two popular Shakespeare texts, ditto 19th century, tho 20C is more usually the same one. OK, but wil they have done them in the same order? What if your child has done Christmas Carol but the school they move to has done Inspector Calls?

Will history topics be the same? MFL will almost certainly be the same board, but the topics may have been approached in a different order.

Honestly OP is there any way you can delay for 18 months? Your younger child would then move at the end of yr 9, not perfect but OK, especially if the school does a two-year GCSE. Your older child moves in time for sixth form.

If you really have to move, you may find the best option is for your older child to complete a reduced list of GCSEs. What subjects do they study currently? What texts have they done in Eng Lit? MN gets very obsessed with the vital need for 11 grade 8/9s, but in reality 6 GCSEs at grade 5/6 will set them on their way. They would need to do the core subjects and then I guess anything they wanted to do post-16.

Can you delay your move? This will massively damage the year 10,s chances. I'm a secondary school teacher and most courses finish in the first term of year 11 for revision. And the chance of all her GCSEs matching have the same odds of winning the lottery. North Yorkshire has amazing schools and is a great place to live, but I would only move in a dire emergency if I was your situation.

Thank you. After much consideration we are delaying our move until daughter finishes her GCSEs. Thank you all for your honest opinions.

Hi. Honest opinions please ....We are moving to South Yorkshire and kids will be moving schools .. one into college A levels and and one to Year 10. I'm worried about the year 10 place where the GCSE subjects will match ... he's only just starting them here but think they start earlier up north. Worried about moving and not being able to find a good school as they are so full. So far have a college place. What are your thoughts? I am a single mum moving from the south, for financial , work and a long distance relationship which cannot survive the miles. If would be beneficially to settle down as a family, but we are all nervous as also never lived in the North ....Thank you.