Moving to the UK year 10

[Culdesac7]

What should be done about our daughter, who is moving from the US to UK this summer and has already studied what I believe to be the math offered on GCSE? I’m just curious what I can expect from the school. Appropriate placement? Or repeating everything again? Thanks!

If you know the area you could post details on the area and someone is likely to advise. School places are a major issue in the UK which is why people advise caution. Has the school advised on places available?

Maths is a popular subject and there are definitely range of abilities. Even the most able can find exams questions challenging. Indeed this year's GCSE paper had one question which was viewed at University level.

If she has studied a language it's unlikely she will be able to sit an exam in 2 years but a foreign language isn't essential.

Would private be an option as fee paying schools offer greater flexibility.

It does not work by "first" or "advanced" classes though. Teaching groups tend to be dictated by timetabling, to offer as many subject combinations as possible, rather than by ability. Some subjects will be popular, such that not all those wanting to take it can, some have a much smaller number taking it (often mfl, music, art). Science may be offered in different levels but still cover all three subjects. English (language and literature), maths and science are generally required with preferences of others offered within guidelines, examples of which may be on school websites. Some schools still make RS compulsory, others may have other specialisms.

If you know which school you are interested in, look at their website and search for "options". Most schools provide options booklets for year 9 to help pupils decide which subjects they will do for GCSE. You'll find lots of helpful information. Just be aware that each school arranges things slightly differently.

She will have to study Maths, Science, English Language and English Literature. Depending on the school she may have a language/PE/RE added to that. Pupils do between 8-10 GCSE's with many doing the baccalaureate which is the 4 above (although science is 2/3 depending on which pathway she chooses), then a language and either history or geography. Which makes 8/9 leaving a couple for options.

Assuming state school, Your daughter will be applying for an in year place so catchment area is not the big consideration. It will be based on which schools have space in her year group. Will she be starting year 10? You need to look for schools with a 2 year not 3 year key stage 4.

When I said “first”, I just meant for foreign language. I would like her to take a foreign language but do not think she could just start with Spanish 3 (are classes labeled like this? I mean the third year of Spanish) Could she begin with the first level presumably with the year 7s? I have heard of “sets” which is not a term we use in American schools.

thank you for your patience with me.

No. All her lesson would be with year 10s, depending on the way they set or stream she maybe put into bottom set for Spanish.

In my school we've taken beginners into y10 Spanish and they've done well at GCSE.

Thank you. I have looked at it a few times in the last few weeks, and I get frustrated by how much I don’t understand. I’m getting there though. For example the school breaks down how many “lessons” are required in each subject. In the US we have things called “credits”, and one credit is usually an entire year’s worth of study. Lessons are two weeks long?

That’s great to hear!

In England she will follow a course set by one if the exam boards, each subject’s head of department will decide which exam board, course and topics their school will choose from the options available. She will have a year 10 timetable, either based on a weekly or two week time table. Most schools will start their new table at the start of the new academic year (September) but some will move to it at the end of the previous summer term. Her timetable will be same in year 10 until whenever they move to year 11 timetable. The vast majority of subjects are assessed purely by end of year 11 exams which will be marked by external examiners. A few subjects will have a coursework element which will be produced over a series of months and will be marked by teachers by moderated by external examiners.

Op a student will have a certain number of lessons each week in each subject. In option subjects such as MFL or history, this is typically 2-3 hours pew IME. More in core subjects like science, English and maths. This will lead ultimately to a GCSE qualification but we don’t have credits in the same way as the US system.

Agh, add my last post to the post from @Flopisfatteningbingforchristmas and you will have it 😀

Thanks all. I have found a PowerPoint on year 9 options. At this school at least they choose their classes spring of year 9. Off to read, read, read.

We are not sure she will get into this school. But we really hope she does.

I think maths is the least of your worries frankly. As others have said most able students will take 10 GCSEs , there is little or no coursework element it’s on on a terminal exam at the end of year 11. It’s quite brutal , to give you an example my ds sat 10 subjects plus additional maths ; this was 27 exams over 6 weeks not including orals and practicals. The exams are sat centrally not by the school and the teachers gave no say on gradings, exam conditions are strict including anonymity of papers etc . They are sadly very formulaic and prescriptive, there is a lot of practicing exam technique. Unlike in the US multiple choice is rare .

Most students will sit maths , 2 English (Lang and lit) a modern language, 2or 3 sciences, and variety of others for example drama , history , geography to make up the 10.

The US is far behind the UK in what they teach so she'll have a lot of catching up to do

She will stay in the UK. We want her to go to college in the UK, and she is also wanting that right now. But there could be a chance she changes her mind in four years.

I agree that England is superior in education. We are moving primarily for the education. However, I do not think she will have lots of catching up to do because she was very much accelerated within and enriched outside the American system. But I prefer a more robust system where acceleration isn’t the answer for students like her. It sounds great.

This is all theoretical until you have an address here. I'd phone up the school and ask how likely they think it will be that they might have a place in September. You should also find out about other schools in the area as well.

If you seach "GCSE Maths" on mumsnet (Good luck - 'Search' is shit just now) that'll give you an idea of what it is.

You do seem to have quite an idealised view of the U.K. education system. It’s really in a bit of a mess at the moment, it’s also inflexible , formulaic and very exam based. Many schools are in financial crisis and there is a huge emphasis on, in my view peripheral issues, such as uniform.

Have you considered finishing High School in the US and then transferring into the U.K. for higher Ed , there are plenty of US students who do this especially at the Scottish universities.

I'm genuinely surprised that you see the education system as superior in the U.K. I'd always assumed schools in the US were strong.

I'm not trying to scaremonger but there's a huge variety in the quality of English schools. My nephew's school had 75% non English speakers which made teaching more difficult. Other schools struggle with disruptive behaviour. While some of the GCSEs are definitely harder than I sat (Edexcel IGCSE French was particularly horrendous), I don't think grammar and spelling is generally at the same standard at it was.

There are some high achieving schools but parents often fight tooth and nail to get a place for their kids. I don't think many parents on here would be confident moving to an area without some prior research on how good the schools are.

Also, to answer your specific Maths question, you can take Further Maths but it's not a GCSE at our school, just a qualification.

This is the one they take in case it's useful

www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/fsmq/additional-mathematics/

There are differences. DS attended an International (aka American school) for half of Y8 & Y9. He has switched between British & international a few times over the years. When he joined part way through the year in Y8 (G7) he was the only one in the class able to deal with the wordy style maths questions the other children had not yet encountered. They were used to 2+2 and not Paul went with his friend to the supermarket on a Friday and was wearing green trousers he bought 2 sweets that were 2p each how much did Paul spend? There will be elements where DD is ahead and elements she is behind. The UK system works on a very fast rotation of maths topics introduced from a young age and built on over the years. 2 weeks of missed maths classes in the British system one year can see a pupil floundering the following year because they haven't grasped the basics of the topic which now needs to level up.

It doesn't work like that in England, you start learning a language in year 7 and normally continue until GCSE.

Some schools do introduce another language later but normally that is for students who are good at languages or as a 'twilight' class that is taught after school.

There isn't much choice in what you study, well there is none before year 9 or 10 depending on the school.

Most children take 8-9 GCSEs and the school's 'Progress 8 score' depends on the GCSEs passed in year 11.

English and maths are double weighted so everyone has to do English (language and literature) and maths.

The next 'slots' are ebacc subjects, so science, a humanity, a language.

After that the school can offer any subjects it wants.

Science is a bit different, there are GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry and Physics but very few schools offer them as separate subjects(Computer Science also fills a science slot but doesn't apply here) all children will study science, for most schools pupils take 'double' science, so they study biology, chemistry and physics and they end up with 2 GCSE grades in 'science'.

So your daughter is likely to be sitting GCSEs in

English language
English Literature
Maths
Double Science
A Language
History or Geography
RE (RE is the only compulsory subject in England but not all schools teach it to GCSE and there can be a huge difference in what is taught)

She may have a choice of 1 or 2 other subjects such as Art or Drama.

The schools pic the GCSE syllabus they want to teach from different examining boards and some examining boards offer a number of syllabuses.

So for example History, my brother and I both took O Level History (Old equivalent of GCSE) he studied WWII I studied the corn Laws and Catholic emancipation (we went to different schools).

For RE we both studied exams from the same board but different syllabuses, so I looked at Gospel of Mark and Roman Catholicism, Vatican II, Humane Vitae etc my brother studied scripture so ll 4 gospels.

OK on to Catchment

Being in 'catchment' for a school doesn't mean being near. Some secondary / high schools have 'feeder' primaries. So the schools I and my brother attended were RC high schools, so the RC primary in the next town was a 'feeder' school that meant, if your child attended that primary they would get a place ahead of children living next door to the school.

Another difference between the US and England is that faith schools are funded by the government so your child can be allocated a faith school even if you are of a different faith or have none.

Despite receiving tax payer funding they can and many do discriminate on religious grounds both for pupils and staff.

Within faith schools there can be a huge difference of how much faith your child is exposed to. My brother said a prayer twice a day.

I had morning prayer, the angelus, and afternoon prayer, a religious assembly everyday with the option of mass on a Friday.

The variety is huge even within counties. My DDs' school studies Lord of the Flies, Jekyll and Hyde, and Macbeth for English. A school less than 10 miles away studies An Inspector Calls, A Christmas Carol, etc.

As a secondary school maths teacher in an independent school, my experience with pupils moving from the USA is that they are advanced in some parts of the maths gcse syllabus but have never covered other parts of it. So your DC will probably need to catch up parts of the syllabus.