Moving to Scotland between GCSE and A level - is it possible??

[scarlotti]

Hi
My DH is from Aberdeen and we currently live in the South East of England. We are considering moving back up to Scotland to be nearer all his family as we're on our own down here.
We have a DD who is currently in the 1st year of her GCSE courses. We wouldn't move until she's sat her GCSE's.

I'm worried that the cross over from the English to the Scottish system won't work. I know that Scotland don't do A levels but am not sure she can do Highers without having done Standards - can she?
Does anyone have any advice/experience on this?
She's one of the youngest in the year (July birthday) so will sit her GCSE exams at the same time as turning 16.
What age do Scottish children sit highers?

Any help most gratefully received!
Thanks.

Hi, I think if she has done the GCSE in a subject, the school will be happy for her to do the Higher. She would be the right age for doing Highers - turning 16 in July would make her right for going into S5 in the autumn, and that is the year that they work towards Highers.

One thing you should maybe try to find out from the school though is whether they start working on the Higher work straight after the exams in May/June - lots of schools like to make a head-start to get through the syllabus, so if you had the option of her starting straight after her own exams it might be an advantage.

Oh, as to ages, Scottish children will normally sit their Standard Grades at 15 and a half up to 16 and a half, and Highers one year later, so she'll be about the middle of the age range for her class.

But some schools are now doing O grades in 3rd year, then spending 2 years doing Higher work, so you'd have to check with the school that you were planning to send her to.

No recent experience, but eons ago sil tried to do this. Fanily moved to Scotland after O-levels, she started school in Aug, and was back in England by Sept to do A levels while lodging with friends. She said the systems were too different, but that may have changed by now.

Thanks for all your advice ladies, it's most helpful.

We moved to scotland this year, and we ended up putting ds1 back a year, as he'd was bang in the middle of his GCSE's. He was the youngest in his year in England, so it's worked well for him.

One thing that I found when we were planning this move is that there are some very helpful secondary school heads in scotland. One, who had already told me that his school was full this year, took the time to talk me through the differences between the two systems, and answered a lot of questions for me - even ones that weren't relevant to his school.

It does help if you know what area you will be moving to - it narrows down the choice of schools - we had the opposite problem - we could live anywhere within commuting distance of glasgow, so had a huge number of communities and schools to choose from.

You'll also find that Scotland doesn't publish league tables, but the HR director for dh's new company found a set of league tables compiled by the Times, from the published data.

There's a website called Parentzone, where you can find details of all the schools in a particular area, and if you click on the name of an individual school, it will take you to that school's information, and there are links that allow you to look at the school's results at Standards and Highers etc.

Hope this helps.

Thanks sunnygirl.
I'd not be happy if I had to put her back a year although by the sounds of things we'd be a year ahead of your ds.
Did the headmaster imply you could move from one sytem to the other or do you get the feeling that would add lots of difficulties?

We're not decided on moving yet, the other option is to head towards my family in Wales, which would take the whole issue away.

Appreciate you ladies taking time out to answer me

The message that I got was that moving from one system to another was do-able, and I definitely think that doing it when your dd finishes her GCSE's would make it far easier.

We had no choice about the timing of our move - dh had a new job to come to up here, so we had to move in the spring this year, which meant we had to decide whether to make ds1 try to catch up on all the work he'd missed from the standards courses, or to put him back a year, so that he had a term to settle in and do his choices before starting his standards courses on a level playing field. Obviously, your dd would not need to go back a year if she were moving between her GCSE's finishing, and the Highers starting.

One point to remember - if you are resident in Scotland, and dd decides to attend a scottish university, you don't pay tuition fees. You wouldn't move just for that, but it is an added benefit.

Let me know if I can be of any further help - I know how complex it is to house- and school-hunt from so far away.

Not sure if you know but Scottish highers can be broader based than A levels, (if it is all the same these days). In scotland you do a Higher in English, it is not broken down into english literature and language.

So in 5th year it would be normal to do 5 or 6 Highers.

ds is 15 and in 4th year, currently doing his prelims. Some of his subjects he is doing at Standard level and of those some are at General and some are Credit, but he is also doing a couple at Intermediate 2.

You get Standard, Int 1, Int 2, and then Highers. His teachers have decided what level he is working to and his English teacher gave him advice how to get put through for credit by proper exam time based on his prelims results

my DD is in 3rd yr, and has been forcast that she will attain credit level. She also is doing childcare at college one afternoon a week.

My neice is in the english system and my SIL hates it, but however they are stuck with it.

Will you be moving to Aberdeen City. Are you looking at private or state?

Hi,I'm in a bit of confusion as my partner got a job in Scotland and we are in England.My DS is in year 10 and it's a very hard time for us to move now .Is there a possibility for him to get a place at schools there as I have noone in Scotland to ask about it. If not ,we both have to stay in England whilst he works in Scotland .It's not a very good time to move for his year and I'm not sure if Scottish schools takes in year application .I'm also thinking to do back a year if we are going as he is also youngest in class..Any advices pls

@Shaks123 - come and ask the question in the Scotsnet topic, but in short, yes Scotland does in year applications.

When you post in Scotsnet, say exactly how old he is as our cut off dates are different.

On the face of it he'll go into S3 and have time to settle into the Nat 5 curriculum (exams taken in S4) and he'll be at the old end of the year rather than the youngest.