repeat Year 9 or delay GCSE

[T1na22]

Hello, I am new to this forum. I just moved from Bangladesh to the UK with my two daughters and am temporarily in Canterbury. I will settle in Edmonton by July. My 14 YO will get enrolled in school then. According to her age, she will go to Year 10. But given, the different system, she will have a hard time coping with the subjects. Is there any way she can repeat Year 9? She needs more time to prepare for GCSEs, and she needs to get decent grades to go to university. Or, can she continue with Year 10 and 11, but delay giving exams? Looking for suggestions.

It isn't possible in a state school, but if you pay for a private school then repeating a year should be possible.

Have you already found a school? I would ensure that GCSEs start in year 10 rather then year 9, if that’s the case then she probably won’t need to repeat year 9.

Hmm, that won't be feasible. It will be too expensive. Thanks

I haven't moved yet, so haven't applied to schools yet. Planning to do it early July before school term ends. Expense is also an issue, as I'm looking for work too.

What month is her birthday? As I understand it there can be some flexibility in year groups for people moving from overseas, but it would probably be easier if born June-Aug than Sep-Dec.

Another option is to reduce the number of GCSEs being sat, so she can use spare time to catch up on other subjects. Many schools start some GCSE content in y9, for example Science. Some schools start all GCSE content in y9.

The quality of her English and previous education standard will make a big difference.

My suggestion is wait until you have moved then go and talk to some local schools to see how flexible they will be.

Also, if GCSE results are a bit so-so but pick up for A levels, I would think a personal/school statement explaining would mean that the GCSE grades don't matter as much.

You say she is 14 and going in to year 10 – I presume (hope) you mean year 10 in September (in other words she turns 15 after Sept 1 this year?).

I agree that she should be able to gain the GCSEs she needs starting in yr 10, as long as the school in question starts GCSE work in year 10 (not year 9). She will have done maths I presume and some science work; if her English comprehension and language skills are good there should be no issue. Yes, picking up French or German from scratch in year 10 may be too much of an ask but that is not needed for university anyway. She should focus on gaining GCSEs in English language and literature, double science and maths, then anything else she is really interested in studying further (computer science, history, drama, art). If she is flexible on that I would suggest a humanity (geography, history or RE usually) to give her some essay-writing skills.

The grades she gains at GCSE will mostly impact her A level choices rather than university. As long as she gains 5+ in English and maths and five GCSEs overall, and is not applying for Oxford or for very competitive courses like medicine or vet science, her GCSE grades will not really be considered by the universities, who are mainly interested in A level grades.

As a rule, a student needs to achieve a 6 or above at GCSE to take a subject for A level (and many schools ask for 7 in maths) but even that might be waived given her circumstances and depending on evidence of ability and effort.

I would be contacting schools to see if they might have a place and check whether they start GCSE work in year 9 or 10 OP. Good luck.

It absolutely is possible in a state school. My DS dropped back and repeated year 10 .

@T1na22 you need to speak to the schools you are looking at and see what they say. If there is space in year 9 they can let her start in year 9. I think they have to get permission from the LEA but it can be done.

But if its a school where they start GCSE work in year 10 then she should be fine for most subjects.

I have known of one child to redo a year in a state secondary school - they retook year 8. It was very unusual, and was due to the child having had a very unsuccessful year academically, no friends in their year group, and they had separation issues due to being adopted, so they had behaviour similar to a much younger child and was considered special needs. If your child was born in July/August, and is the youngest in the year, you may be in with a shot.

There is a child in my daughters class who moved from overseas and is a year older so presumably it’s possible.

Thank you everyone for your advice. My daughter's birthday is in January. It might take up to early August to find a place to rent. But what I can gather is that meanwhile I should go talk to some schools and ask if they will allow her to repeat Year 9, whether they start GCSE in year 9 or 10, and minimum how many subjects she must take.

It would be better to sit year 10 and 11 and then repeat 11 - otherwise she’ll be doing a year of unwanted lessons - French/Spanish/geography/history/science

Surely it’s better to concentrate on those a she’ll be sitting for GCSE’s?

I very very much doubt a school would accept her on the basis on y10, y11 and another y11.

It either needs to by y9, y10, y11 or just y10, y11.

Unless she has been in 'English school' already she isn't repeating y9 as such because of moving school systems.

I agree with @TeenPlusCat . Plus if she starts year 10 she'll make friends, then repeat year 11 and have to make new friends. The "new" year group will know she's repeating and that could be hard for her.

But depending on what level she is working at they might not let her anyway. My DS was allowed because he was so behind.
Absolutely no harm in asking though.

She could easily pass the subjects she’s good at - and wouldn’t need to stay and repeat year 11 in school - lots of 6th form colleges allow her to retake the ones she needs for A Levels -
DD is in 6th form and they all make friends.

At 6th form colleges you can retake maths & English if you didn't get a 4 (pass), but they don't tend to let you retake random subjects such as geography. (At least they don't round here).

You might as we contact schools in the Edmonton area now - if you apply to somewhere hwith a place available (not just, a place just come up, with an existing waiting list), then you should get it, regardless of current address. Otherwise, you will be dependent either on appeals, where no school has a place to offer, a process you may as well get on with sooner rather than later, or the LA e forcing its Fair Access Protocol, but you will have to be living locally for that.