Guildford schools & moving partway through GCSEs

[Beetlecat]

Please does anyone have experience of moving schools partway through GCSEs (1st year)? Understand it is not recommended, but if you have done it how did it go? Any suggestions? (Apart from not to do it!!)? And anyone in the Guildford area and surrounds, which State secondary schools would you suggest looking at? (For background, DD is at an all girls' school. Fees only been feasible due to a relative. The school used to be great but new Headteacher has been changing things and it is not an environment I want DD to be in anymore). Thank you.

You might find it a challenge to locate a state secondary that would facilitate this tbh. It would be very challenging, even if exam boards and topics/books were the same.

Is there an alternative private school? It might be more flexible.

If state is the only option, it’s a case of finding one with spaces - you need to contact your LA. You might find your dd will do better if she focuses on fewer GCSEs (so, drops any non core she doesn’t plan to take further) in order to do any catch up.

Sorry btw no personal experience of this.

Thank you clary. It's a nightmare!

Yes agree you will find it very hard to find a state school that will accept your dd into Year 11. Remember she will be expected to sit her gcse mocks at the end of autumn or start of spring term at any school and she will hardly attend school during start of summer term of year 11.
You would do better to forfeit the upcoming fees and move her to a state school in the coming weeks so she has only missed 1 term of the gcse curriculum. Ring the council to see which schools have year 10 places, it will give you a realistic idea of where you stand.

Can you not wait until after GSCEs?

The chances of finding a school offering the subjects your DD is doing using the same exam boards, and chosen the same options (eg books for Eng Lit, events for history etc) are very slim. And even then there will be timetable issues, and the fact that they may have already studied sections that your DD hasn't and still need to do the bits she has done.

My DCs were at indies and many of their subjects were iGCSEs, which aren't offered at state schools and can be quite different to standards GCSEs.

If currently y10 if you moved now you'll only have missed 1 term. So less to catch up if different syllabus / set books / order of teaching.

Have you missed the deadline for giving notice? (is it end of previous term or before start of next term?)

The longer you leave it the worse it will be to switch.

As someone who moved from state school to boarding school at the start of year 11 I would say don't do it unless no other option

• I had to drop GCSEs that the new school didn't offer
• exam boards and curriculum were different
• also had to deal with making new friends/fitting in etc whilst also trying to frantically catch up on school work.

Please remember you will need to give a term's notice otherwise you will be liable for a term's fees after your DD leaves.

You will need to hit the phone hard after the Christmas break, although a ring around today might at least give you some idea of which schools have spaces.

As around for information on local schools - eg on facebook groups

Move sooner rather than later even if it costs you money on the school fees

We’re not in Guildford but Year 10 DD is about to move schools, although from state to private. The new school can match the subjects but they’ll likely be some catching up to do, with some different exam boards and subjects taught in a different order. We have no alternative and I’m worried about it, but DD is bright and her current school isn’t at all good academically, so hopefully it will work out okay because the academics at the new one will be better.

A state school would admit if they have space- as whilst the PAN only applies to the year of admission they would most likely loose an appeal if there was space in a year group and they did not admit.

Lots of state schools admit into Y10 and Y11 on a weekly basis, particularly those with new arrivals.

Is she one term through Y10, moving for new school in Jan?
Just move, ASAP.
Be prepared to buy every revision guide and workbook for the new school subjects and boards.
You know it's not ideal, but ASAP is doable with support.
Consider your response to e.g. she's currently studding French, and new school does Spanish.
Or RE and History clash, so she can only do 1 of the two.

One term in Y11? Do everything in your power to stay where she us. And maybe reduce the timetable once revision starts.

State schools will be dependant on where spaces are.
Will the council tell you which schools have Y10 spaces? Then filter from there.

Sorry @Beetlecat I read quickly and took it that you intended to move at the end of year 10. But in fact assuming your DD is currently in year 10., can you look to move her in January? Agree then it would only be a term of catch-up.

You'll have to take what tyou are offered tho - I would ring round NOW (schools about to go on holiday by me) and see if anywhere has a space.

Yes you'll lose a term's fees but as you are moving to state that makes no difference really (sunk cost and all).

Good point re IGCSEs and different curriculum - just as an example, my subject is MFL and the standard AQA GCSE and then (for example) Edexcel IGCSE have very different requirements (no translation in IGCSE for instance, but there is in AQA, so a state school would have practised this since year 7 whereas a private school might not).

Stick with private to finish GCSEs would be my advice maybe Priorsfield or Tormead if they will take you.
Then you have Godalming Sixth Form college.

Thanks all. Really appreciate all the comments and suggestions. Thank you so much. Would stick with current school if it had not become unbearable. It's a crying shame. Was previously a brilliant environment but new Head is killing it.

Which school, such a shame.

@KnittedCardi I'm assuming Guildford High School, since out of the three senior independent schools in Guildford, it's the only one with a new head teacher this year.

Hi @KnittedCardi It's not a Head who was new this year. I know I could name the school but I need to make a formal complaint so will hold back on naming publicly at the moment.

Tormead then! We left a couple of years ago, and didn't really get to know him as it was a COVID year. Must admit, I wasn't inspired.

Your other problem is likely to be that your DD is in one of the really high birth rate years so there may not be any spaces in the "better" state schools.

When someone has said they don't feel comfortable naming a school or other detail publicly, continuing to try to openly ID it is truly inconsiderate, and it discourages people from posting if they need to be anonymous.

Guildford state options (you’d have to see where there are spaces mind you…and I’d also consider location/how she’ll get to school - as I’m sure you know traffic can be a nightmare in the area)

George Abbot - excellent academics/sport, pastoral support also good. Site is large, plenty of space/playing fields etc. Very large though, over 2000 students (10 form entry plus 6th form) - might feel quite overwhelming after a smaller private girls school?

County - also very strong on academics, I don’t know re pastoral. Smaller (7 form entry) Site is small/rather cramped due to town centre location. Heavily oversubscribed every year for yr 7 entry so may not have space

Kings - historically had poor reputation but now part of same academy trust as GA and is increasingly popular. Excellent SEN support. Smallest of the Guildford schools - 5 form entry and I believe in older years (10/11) not full so potentially smaller class sizes. On paper academic results are lower than GA/County due to catchment area but very ambitious to improve

Christs - had a poor OFSTED a few years back and closed the 6th form to focus on improving yr 7-11 provision. Mixed reviews of how successful that has been to date. C of E and make much of their Christian ethos. Probably the least ‘popular’ of the 4 currently

There is also St Peter’s which consistently has the best academic results but I don’t know about pastoral/sport and you won’t get in there unless you are Catholic.

There is also St Peter’s which consistently has the best academic results but I don’t know about pastoral/sport and you won’t get in there unless you are Catholic.

That doesn't apply if there is a place to be offered - only designated grammar schools can refuse to offer a place unless the applicant is (academically) qualified. If the faith school isn't a grammar school, the same rules apply as for all the others.

In terms of asking about places, you should submit a formal application sooner rather than later; even if a school declares a place available to an informal enquiry, they can't hold it while you get to he point of applying formally and if someone else does in the meantime, they will get the place.

Be careful. At least one of the Guildford schools start gcses in year 9. You need to check that