Daughters GCSEs

[FizzyBubbles]

I really am getting myself worked up over this. I dont want to ruin my daughters education so any advice anyone can give me here would be much appreciated.
She is due to take her GCSEs May 2009 and is a A* student who we are extremely proud of. I need to know if it would be better for her to take her GCSEs here first then we go over to Aus or go ahead this year as we were planning to do originally.
I'm not sure I really understand how the exam system works over there tbh. (thats why I wasnt a A* student) Would her GSCEs mean much over there or not? She will be 16 in September so what school year would she be in if we leave this Summer?
I also have a boy who has just turned 13 in Jan (very proud of him too)who is more into his sport rather than his education. I know he will be fine and throw himself into all the sporting activities available.
Please if anyone can help me with this or have been in the same situation I would love to hear from you.

Thanks.

[sanders family]

sorry havent got a answer for you but we are in the same position son year 10 year 11 in sept , another son year7 go to 8 and a daughter in year4 going 5, Iv'e been reading the threads in education and alot are saying they dont mean much out there and our friends in bris say just get out here asap.
Which area are you going to? have you got visa yet? sorry not much help good luck we know how you feel just dont want to mess the kids life up but it will been a better life in the end.

[FizzyBubbles]

We are hoping to go Brisbane. Your son is the same age my daughter then. Is he ok about the move? Daughter wants to go now, son is a bit more unsure....but I know he'll be fine.

We have passed out TRA and the Visa was sent in December, waiting for a case officer now. What about you?

Thanks for the reply.:)

[Kathyo]

[Hi

I know in Perth theres a place you can phone about overseas qualifications,depends on what state your moving to,over hear the kids normally have to get yr10 qualifications to get into tafe which is college,then yr 11 and 12 is more uni orientated,my 3 eldest found it hard,but they have now got apprentiships but they werent straight a students anyway,best thing to do would be to call education board for the state you are moving to and see what advice you can get.Good Luck
Kathy

[samozsoon]

Hi Fizzy
We have been here for 3 weeks now and also have a 16yr old daughter.

We waited until she had finished her GCSE's last June before getting the ball rolling with flights/dates etc (already had visa n validated).
In hindsight I wish we had come Jan last year, heres my reasons (sorry if I go on a bit!).

Here in Oz kids can stay (and most do) at school until they are 17/18 and have completed their High School Cert or whatever is the state equivilent. This means they continue with most subjects (like gcse's do) up until they leave school for good. Then they go on to Tafe (college) or Uni (or work/doss!).

Now my problem is trying to persuade my daughter to go back to school, she worked hard for her exams and left last June so she doesnt want to go back to wearing a school uniform (they are bad!) or go back to doing all subjects again, she thought she'd seen the last of maths for good! She had started A-levels before we left but only did 2 mths of them as we left beginning of Dec.

I wouldnt say that GCSE's aren't any good here, at least it proves that she has the ability to pass them but I dont think they go 'towards' the Oz exams. I did think that with them she would only have to complete the last year of schooling here but since arriving and speaking to a few people (not from schools tho as they are shut til today) I'm not sure she could.
The HSC is a 2 yr course and she wont have done any of the course work and also the exams are in Oct (I think) which means its not even a yr to catch up on all the work and revise for unfamiliar exams.

We would have been better coming last year and taking her straight out of one school and putting her into another.
Btw, it doesnt seem to matter here what school year they go into, this is the same whatever their age.

The only reason I could see to staying to do GCSE's is if you aren't sure about whether you will stay in Oz and will be returning to the UK in the next yr or so, but even then your daughter wont have any A-Levels.

Also, and with teenagers this is very important, I would move while shes happy to go! Above all, if you want to stay together as a family, this is far, far more important than exams!

My daughter is ok about being here, but has no friends yet as she hasnt started school yet, so is pining a bit for her old life and friends back home. She looks at flights home everyday but thankfully just for a hol!
BUT, I have read some real horror stories involving teens refusing to go/going back home. I feel so sorry for the parents as no-one wants to see their kids unhappy.

Your daughter is a bright girl and will do well in her exams in whatever country you're in.
I'd say when you get your visa and shes happy to go, then go for it!

Sam xx

Ps, your son will be fine, he'll just 'go with the flow', he's a boy lol

[kia1]

HI OUR OLDEST BOY IS DUE TO TAKE HIS GCSE'S THIS YEAR WE HAD DECIDED THAT AS SOON AS WE GET THE VISAS WE WERE GOING BECAUSE GCSE'S DONT MEAN ANYTHING OVER THERE BUT THEN WE THOUGHT WHAT IF HE WANTED TO COME BACK TO THE UK (THERE MIGHT BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THAT) HE WOULD THEN HAVE ENGLISH QUALIFICATIONS SO WE ARE STAYING TILL HE HAS COMPLETED THEM.
AND THEN WHEN WE GO OVER WE WILL BE PUTTING HIM BACK A YEAR AS WE WERE TOLD THAT THEY NEED TO STAY AND DO 2 YEARS FOR THE QUALIFICATION.

[Quoll]

GCSEs totally irrelevant here. I suppose if she wanted to leave school at 15 then having them under her belt may say something to an employer but I guess most would say "What?"

If she is doing well (we dont tend to talk about the "straight A student" thing here - bit too tall poppyish) then she will continue to the end of year 12 where she will do whatever else everyone else is doing be that academic or vocational. There is no requirement for having passed any (mythical) year 10 exam before going on to do years 11 and 12.

If she turns 16 in September this year and you were to arrive in October this year she would be in year 10 in most states. If you delay your arrival until next summer (January) then she will be going in to year 11 for 2009.

All states have different ways of assessing year 12 achievements but the end product is a university entrance score which she will require to get into university or a year 12 certificate which will attest to the fact that she has completed the required units to have passed year 12.

In general, all the Australian school will require for enrolment is her visa, evidence of her birthdate and her vaccination record. They may feign interest in what she has done previously but in actual fact it will have no bearing whatsoever on what they then offer her.

[FizzyBubbles]

I'd just like to say thankyou all for your replies. They have helped a great deal and after reading your answers my daughter is happy to leave her GCSEs behind. I think now we will just head out as soon as we can and not wait until she has done them.

Thanks again.

[The.Colebecks]

Hi

We deliberated over this issue, Sam was 16 in December and started his last GCSE year in September, as things have turned out we'll still be here for him to finish his GCSEs.

On the one hand I wish we had been in a position to go earlier than this so that he could have completed a few years schooling in the Aus system. However, on a positive note should all not be rosy and we return to the UK at least he has GCSEs behind him to build some kind of further education / employment on

One good thing is that you can have their GCSEs recognised as Aus equivalent exams by taking their certificates to the Western Aus Curriculum Council - see this link I posted info on earlier http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/educat...-question.html.

Whatever you decide, all the best with your plans.

Karen x

[MariAndyok]

Our son completes his GCSE's this year. Would we be better off waiting to go after he finishes his A levels and then go straight to an Oz Uni.

TIA

Andy