Can you go from GCSE's to Highers? i.e. English system to Scottish system

[scarlotti]

Any advice or experience of this would be most appreciated.

DD currently in year 10 and sitting GCSE's next summer, we live in the South of England. We are thinking of moving to be closer to family in Scotland.
Next summer is ideal as DD will have finished GCSE's and DS will be due to start school.

Would DD then do Highers? How do they compare, if at all, to A levels? Would it be a straight forward move or does the difference in schooling systems make it nigh on impossible?

DD is doing very well at school so I'd hate to think we'd messed up her education.

My DS is about to change from IGCSEs to Highers, and I don't expect there to be any problem.

Highers are like AS's (I think) - they are only one year. She would then have the chance to do an Advanced Higher (Like A2's if I have them the right way round) the following year.

The only thing you might need to watch out for is that the Scottish schools tend to start work on the Higher syllabus straight after they sit their Standard Grade exams - so, the last 2 weeks before the summer holiday. But if you ask the school, they'll be able to tell you what they'll be covering in each of the subjects so she can pick it up herself rather than miss that section.

Oh, and depending on your DS's birthday, you need to be sure that he would be due to start school - he would need to be either already 5 or going to turn 5 by I think the end of February, otherwise he's not due to start till the following year.

Thanks. Interesting that your DS has done IGCSE's and not standards - was that a choice or just what the school does?

I had heard that highers were only 1 year and wondered if there was a concept of advanced highers. I presume that is the way of earning enough points to then go to Uni?

DS will be 5 in the November so will be ok for school - luckily I knew about the March to Feb age thing!

"I had heard that highers were only 1 year and wondered if there was a concept of advanced highers. I presume that is the way of earning enough points to then go to Uni?"

Highers are the Uni entry grades here - you can go on to do more highers at 6th year or what used to be called Certificate in 6th year studies - is it Higher Still now? - but they're not essentially for uni entry - you do more highers than a'levels.

From what I can deduce on the internet, Highers are Uni entry grades for Uni's in Scotland. Scottish Uni courses are 4 years.
English Uni's are only 3 years but would require the advanced highers for entry - or enough Highers to gain the correct number of UCAS points.
UCAS equates A levels with Advanced Highers, although many Uni's have acknowledged that Advanced Highers are harder and so lower the offer.

I would be keen to make sure she could choose where to go to Uni (i.e. England or Scotland) and not be restricted due to us moving.
It feels like such a responsibility and the pressure not to mess up her future is immense!

If she stays on for 6th year and does Advanced Highers, she will be free to choose where she applies to university. Even those going to a Scottish university often stay on for 6th year, though they don't absolutely need to, but it gives them another year of studying in a more independent way and gets them a little older and more mature. People I knew at Uni who had come straight after 5th year often found it more of a shock to the system, though obviously people that age vary hugely in their readiness to be independent.

DS has been doing IGCSEs because he's been home educated the last 2 years and studying with an internet school, so he's not typical! But Highers can't really be done from home, so it will be school or college for him next.

Thanks, it's been really helpful.

GCSEs to Highers should be fairly easy as Highers follow on from Standard grades which are not as hard as GCSEs (IME). I did it the other way round (Standard Grades to A levels) and it was HARD.....

Thanks ShrinkingViolet, I hadn't thought of that aspect of it.

Another reason to do 2 years of highers/advanced highers is that otherwise you may be starting uni at just turned 17 and unable to drink. Not a good way to start uni. Better doing more highers/advanced highers/ extra standard grades in year 6 so you can join in the partying. Even doing a 6th year my son will be 17 when he goes to uni because of the way the school year works in Scotland. 5 good highers generally equates to 3 good a levels.

I had to change my DOB on my SU card in order to get into bars/nightclubs as I didn't turn 18 till the Novemebr of my first year. The year below me had properly printed cards with unchangeavel DOBs