Applying for secondary school places from abroad

[expatmumjj]

I am currently trying to plan our move back to the UK from USA next summer. My eldest daughter will be moving into year 11, which I know is not ideal but we need to return due to our parents being unwell. So staying isn't an option. I have just had an application to the local secondary school she attended before we left turned down with no reasons given.

Looking at the LEA website, they only allow applications 6 weeks prior to starting school. However this doesn't really help me do all the forward planning in terms of reviewing curriculum differences etc.

Does anyone have any experience of going through this process ? Or any tips on moving secondary schools in general and how to secure a place ?

My other option will be to home school for the year but this is a last resort....

Thanks !

Is your daughter in an international school in the states?

It's possible you may have better luck with a sympathetic school that runs 2 year gcse courses putting her back to year 10? She will have missed half the gcse content otherwise and most schools would be reluctant to admit at that point; it's setting her up to fail in some ways.

She is at an international school here yes, so may even take some of the iGCSEs early.

I know there will be some knowledge gaps but this is why am trying to plan ahead. The international school may have some flexibility in what they can teach her, but only if I know she has a chance of a place somewhere so I can compare the curriculums. I've started a spreadsheet for this already based on the information I can see on the potential UK school website, but then had the 'application not considered for Yr 11' email...

She will not be able to get a definite place in a state school whilst living abroad, just as a child cannot get a place if they live in a different area of the UK especially where the school may already be full.

She is currently trending towards A grades in GCSEs and is quite self motivated. I know it's not going to be easy, but to just be denied an application/school place seems more setting her up to fail.

You might be better off looking at independent options - most will happily put her into Y10 instead of 11, will guarantee you a place even though you’re not in the country (unlike state schools where you need to be in the U.K. to apply for a place unless you are a CS employee), and work with you on curriculum gaps.

I know it may not be possible financially but would definitely be the most stress free option!

Moving in year 11 is madness. Can you not come back this summer into year 10 would make so much more sense and give you so many more options. Even if it means leaving DH or part of the family back in USA for a year or what about boarding school for year 10 this year for DD. Maybe choose one close to home so she could switch to a day pupil in year 11.

Be aware that unless you are returning military or qualifying civil servant, admissions authorities do not have to accept or prochess applications from DC who are not resident in the UK.

Once she is in the country, the LA has a duty to find her a place within a reasonable time (that can however take a few weeks)

If a school has a vacancy, they have to accept her. If no school within a reasonable distance has a place, then the LA is obliged to activate the Fair Access Protocol (FAP) to force a school over numbers as she shouid not be left without a place. This will however be at the school the LA judges can best accommodate an extra, and will not necessarily be one of your preferences.

They aren't trying to damage her education, or stop her achieving anything. Unless she is actually resident (and even exchanged contracts on a property isn't sufficient in our borough) they simply cannot consider her. Get on the phone to the authority admissions if possible, or email them.

You may even find at that point in her schooling that none of the private, never mind state schools you'd want have spaces available. Are you planning ahead for sixth form yet too? You should.

You will not be offered a place at a U.K. state school without living in the U.K. unless, as a pp has said, you are returning military or a member of the civil service who has been stationed abroad. You need to move back and then apply.

I do think you are nuts though.

I'm confused. You're coming back next summer but applying now? Or do you mean you're coming back this summer? As in a couple of months?

State schools won't accept an application till you're back in the uk and at your uk address.

Going into year 11 though is madness, particularly with the year we've had. Private would probably take her into the year below though. Which gives her a good chance of decent grades.

If she's already on year 10 of IGCSE, just look at independent schools, many offer igcses as they are able to and the testing timeline is easier, so she will just be able to enter at y11 and do well, as is apparently normal for her.

@expatmumjj

She is currently trending towards A grades in GCSEs and is quite self motivated. I know it's not going to be easy, but to just be denied an application/school place seems more setting her up to fail.

It’s got absolutely nothing to do with her academic ability and everything to do with her not actually living in this country. If anything is ‘setting her up to fail’, it’s her having to move schools.

OP I would also consider a private school - or maybe even sitting exams as a privately entered candidate.

If she has been studying for iGCSEs, you need to know (you may already know of course) that the majority of English state schools do not do these; and the syllabi are different.

My subject is MFL, which you would think was fairly universal, but if a student had worked towards iGCSE and then tried to sit AQA GCSE, it might be unnecessarily challenging. AQA GCSE has translation from and to target language; edexcel iGCSE does not. AQA has some questions in English; iGCSE has them all in TL; iGCSE has a grammar task that is not in GCSE. GCSE has a much longer essay question with less support (only two bullet points). GCSE is tiered so the F tier is relatively easy but the H tier is challenging; iGCSE is not tiered, so the questions range from easier to harder and IMO it is overall easier for a really able student.

What I am trying to say is that most schools will have been teaching translation from year 7, but your DD probably won't have done that as it's not on the exam she is working to.

This will be multiplied by many times in other subjects - different topics in history, different texts in English, different aspects covered or expected in science and maths.

If I were you I would make every effort to keep her where she is tbh; failing that, I woudl try to find a school that will take her in year 10; failing that (would probably need to be private school) I would enter her privately for the iGCSEs she has studied towards, paying for some tutoring if needed. She could still go to the local school I guess.

Sorry for long post but I fear some people (not saying you OP!) don't understand the skills and knowledge of exam technique needed (and think that "speaking French" is enough to get them a high pass at GCSE or even A level.

The school/council don’t care about her academic ability and they aren’t setting her up to fail. They’re applying their standard criteria and not allowing a child to take a place who isn’t living in the country.

You’ll need to wait til you’re back in the uk then apply and hope you get a place in a school you like. If the good schools are oversubscribed she could end up at one you don’t like.

If you can afford private that’s probably a safer bet if you can find somewhere with space as they are more likely to allow you to secure a place ahead of time.

Even transferring to another school offering igcse, overwhelmingly in the fee paying sector, does not guarantee the same syllabus will be studied or topics in same order as she already has. There are a few schools/colleges offering an intensive one year gcse programme but these are at a higher cost with fewer subjects taken. As a minimum she needs maths, English and science to progress to y12/level 3.

They won't offer her a place 16m in advance at a state school. It wouldn't be fair to someone who moved into the area in the next few months and wanted the space.

I understand your concern but you may need to think outside the box for the year. Home ed, online school, living with relatives to do year 10 and 11 in the same place, coming back this summer instead. Good luck figuring it out.

I've just read your OP properly - do you mean she is now in year 9 and you are planning to come back summer 2022?

Can you not move her here to stay with relatives this summer, that would be much better, school-wise.

Thanks - this is extremely useful information, so thanks for taking the time to respond.

Yes, exactly this. I don’t think moving her over earlier is an option (boarding school or otherwise), as the impact to her mental health would probably counteract any educational benefit.

Looks like trying to find somewhere that offers iGCSEs or applying to do them privately is our best course of action from all the information people have provided.

@Soontobe60

She will not be able to get a definite place in a state school whilst living abroad, just as a child cannot get a place if they live in a different area of the UK especially where the school may already be full.

This is not true.

A child can get a place at a school if they live in a different part of the UK simply by applying. If the school has a place available, it must be offered. If a parent living in Penzance applies for a place at a school in Carlisle, if the school has a place available it must be offered.

Things can be a bit harder when applying from abroad. However, for an in-year application, if the LA co-ordinates in-year applications they are supposed to accept applications from abroad. If the LA doesn't co-ordinate in-year applications, parents should apply directly to the school. Again, if the school has a place available it must be offered. The main problem parents face when applying from abroad is meeting the LA's/admission authority's requirement for evidence to show they intend moving to the area.

However, this doesn't help the OP. When a place is offered, most admission authorities expect the pupil to arrive within a few weeks. If that doesn't happen, the place will be lost. I understand the OP's desire to plan ahead but this is one area where I'm afraid that is not possible.

Independent schools, of course, operate to different rules.

Hi OP
I applied in-year by the deadline given but was then told the education authority would not begin to process it until we were actually back in the country on the tarmac - it then took a few weeks to process so my kids started the school year two weeks after everyone else - not ideal but okay (we came back in the Summer holidays).
It will only work for you if your chosen school, like mine, is not over-subscribed. If it is, you'll be allocated 2nd, 3rd etc on your list, offered a place anywhere else if 1, 2, 3 are full and have to go on the waiting lists for your preferred school hoping for an in-year move if another pupil/pupil(s) leaves and you are high up enough still for that place.
Best of luck x

Yes I was able to apply directly to the state school for a place in the UK ahead of time and have managed to place my younger daughter on the waiting list, but they didn’t want to accept any year 11 application.

All the comments have helped me better understand why this may be the case and also consider the impact on my daughter. So thanks again to you all.

If we stay here another year, she will take core iGCSEs; Maths, English, Sciences, French & History. Her favourite subject is Art so the downside of staying is that she wouldn’t have this qualification. Her current school have said they would help her prepare her portfolio in preparation for an Art GCSE if she leaves at end on yr 10.

I think I need to do more research into how the different options impact access to sixth form too as suggested by PerfectCarriageGreen.

We did look at a private school but they have also said they will not accept yr 11 new students.

She would love to stay the extra year, the rest of us want to be able to see family and friends again. We’re unable to visit the UK or them come over obviously due to Covid. It’s been almost 2 years since we saw them in person.

Lots to consider but I feel more informed. Thank you !

It's a dreadful time to move her. Really unfair to mess up her education like this.