Would year 11 be too pressurized for my son?

[Quoll]

It was interesting to read the above link in the guardian re. education. I have come accross comments from people moving to australia who have an assumption that students coming from uk or ireland would be academically brighter than their peers in Oz. Im not sure why some people assume this and this research shows that eduacation in australia is obviously very good. Im also glad to read that there are different options open to students to get to study their particular subject area in university. thanks everyone for all the advise, this has really helped a lot. ann

It's another first world country with a first world education system - the difference is that at the same age, UK kids tend to have done one extra year of school because they start younger - and they do one more year in school making it 14 years of schooling rather than the 13 years in Australia. OTOH UK students can get an honours degree in 3 years whereas an Aus student has to do a 4th year for honours so it all evens out in the end.

[Bob1]

Kindy (and now pre kindy), Pre Primary (like reception class) plus 12 years make 14. Scotland have always had 4 years honours degrees, I thought England did too - surprised by that.

[sophiet]

It's another first world country with a first world education system - the difference is that at the same age, UK kids tend to have done one extra year of school because they start younger - and they do one more year in school making it 14 years of schooling rather than the 13 years in Australia. OTOH UK students can get an honours degree in 3 years whereas an Aus student has to do a 4th year for honours so it all evens out in the end.

Ah ha...! Perhaps that's the missing piece of the puzzle for me! Is that why there's an assumption that HSC holders would probably have to do a foundation year to do a UK honours degree? (And does anyone know how true that is?)

It's clear the standard of both education systems are high, it's just trying to sort out the timing issues transferring from one to the other and potentially back again... In my daughter's case (August birthday) from what I have been told it seems that if we went to NSW they would 'put her down' a year. This is absolutely fine if she then finishes her education in Australia, but if we came back to the UK after her HSC, she wouldn't be eligible for Uni until a year after her original classmates. If a foundation year is then also required (I'm not sure about this yet - still trying to understand so please correct me if I'm wrong!) the she effectively ends up two years behind her original cohort. All because of timing issues caused by the differing school years and systems.

Our great dilemma is whether it is selfish of my husband and I to take the family for a fab (hopefully) few years in Sydney given the impact on the children (although my two boys would only end up one year behind their original classmates). Struggling badly with this one.

[nevsm]

Ah ha...! Perhaps that's the missing piece of the puzzle for me! Is that why there's an assumption that HSC holders would probably have to do a foundation year to do a UK honours degree? (And does anyone know how true that is?)

It's clear the standard of both education systems are high, it's just trying to sort out the timing issues transferring from one to the other and potentially back again... In my daughter's case (August birthday) from what I have been told it seems that if we went to NSW they would 'put her down' a year. This is absolutely fine if she then finishes her education in Australia, but if we came back to the UK after her HSC, she wouldn't be eligible for Uni until a year after her original classmates. If a foundation year is then also required (I'm not sure about this yet - still trying to understand so please correct me if I'm wrong!) the she effectively ends up two years behind her original cohort. All because of timing issues caused by the differing school years and systems.

Our great dilemma is whether it is selfish of my husband and I to take the family for a fab (hopefully) few years in Sydney given the impact on the children (although my two boys would only end up one year behind their original classmates). Struggling badly with this one.

If you are planning to move between Australia and the UK when your children are at the top end of high school it is worth considering finding an IB school. I am not sure that the Australian system ties in well going back to the UK where subject selection starts happening much younger at GCSE level.

[fairystar32]

My son went into yr 10 when we arrived, his birthday was June and was in the older end range, where he was in the younger age range in The UK grammar school.

He did struggle for the first 6 mths getting used to the system, he actually found the work much harder here and said in the UK he realised the classes were often 'spoon fed'
he told me its better from his experience, as he has had to use more of his initative and study more. he pulled his grades back up ( he was a A* student in the Uk in most subjects and went down to a C here but brought them back up to B and A)

When he started yr 11 he was fine and found it easy, as he had become used to the system.
I think it can be hard to decide based about either country being 'better' than the other, you can find contradictive studies for either country and the ones I have read all put Australia above the UK.


He has now just started Uni.

[fairystar32]

From the new system
The top ten countries, in rank order, are
the United States, Sweden, Canada, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Australia, the Netherlands
and the United Kingdom.

http://www.universitas21.com/article...nd-full-report