Would going back to UK mean teenagers dropping back a year in school?

Hi there! Could anyone clarify some things for me??

My husband has been offered a great job in Sydney and we are itching to take it.... BUT:

From all the research I've done, it seems that coming back to the UK in 3, 4 or 5 years would mean that my kids would be disadvantaged (academically) compared to their peers they'd left behind because of the different education systems..?

One coming back with a HSC would probably have to do a foundation year at Uni?

Another aged in the middle of 'A' levels would have to drop back and start in lower 6th again?

Not to mention having to fork out for international student fees because we'd be out of the UK (grrrr)!

If I'm right then it's a huge decision for us to make and one which may be unfair on them... perhaps our ship has already sailed :-(

I'd really appreciate anyone's thoughts, comments, corrections or experiences!

That sounds about right. There are some people who havent had to pay international fees but others who have. If you can demonstrate that you have been seconded overseas and returned to your original job then you might get away without having to pay international fees. Whether those returnees have been lucky or the institution has been incompetent I have no idea.

Unless a kid gets exceptionally high scores in HSC then a Foundation year is possible. UK Universities are also getting more interested in GCSE (or will it be GCE?) scores as part of a uni application so no idea how that would impact someone who doesnt have GC(S)E to compare - the NSW year 10 cert wont get them anywhere and you know how hard it would be to miss a year of A levels and still get a good score!

We contemplated a job based move when our kids were mid teens and had made the decision to let them board at school rather than disrupt them - that's always an option that you have. As it happened, the opportunity fell through so we didnt go ahead with it.

Thanks Quoll... although I was rather hoping I had it wrong!

I'd have thought there would be enough demand for an 'English' school (there seems to be a German one!), but I suppose that would then be rubbish for mixing with the Aussies....

Our kids are a bit younger than yours were by the sound of it, and I guess if everything went well then we wouldn't want to come back to the UK for quite some time anyway. It's just that most people seem to plan to emigrate and hope they'll want to stay, whereas it's all quite new to us and can only really think in terms of a few years at the moment (a comfort blanket, I guess).

Crystal ball, anyone?

There are some schools in Australia that do the international baccalaureate. That would be absolutely fine for uni entry, and if you found a school in the UK that also does it, then they could transfer back without too much problem...

would probably mean private school fees though...

wrt the uni fees, you need to be considered ordinarily resident in the UK http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/cbtmanual/cbtm10020.htm If you're on a temporary visa and maintain a home in the UK, then it could be argued that you are still ordinarily resident in the UK. I think there have also been cases where teenagers on temporary visas were able to claim ordinary residence and get local fees even though the parents stayed abroad because something along the lines of the children intended to return, even if the parents didn't.

Yup, I always forget about the IB - you do have to hunt around for a school that does it in some places (the ACT now has several government schools that do it probably because of the large itinerant population) Not sure what Sydney has available but I doubt the government schools will do it as NSW is very proud of its HSC!

You dont generally see other countries' education systems being pandered to in other first world countries so I would expect there to be an English school or an American school or a Canadian school or any other national system school - they tend to be in places where the "native" education system is perhaps a little deficient. There was some talk at one stage I believe for a GCSE/A level centre in WA but I dont know that anything came of that.

In Perth there is a Greek school, a Jewish one (lots of south Afrcians), three Islamic schools and the International school which helps the Americans. Scotch College and Pres. ladies College (PLC) do the IB as do the Interantional School (though they are more limited in the choice of subjects). I read that a Govt school was starting it - may be Shenton College (not sure). That doesn't help you in Sydney. You may find that after 5 years your children love Australia so much (and you) that you don;t want to return to the UK and they want to go to University here. Australia does very well in the world ranking for University Education - http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/university-rankings/worlds-top-10-higher-education-systems/story-fna15id1-1226352095417. I wouldn't not come because of this - there are too many unknowns re the children and there are many ways to higher education.

Thanks for the replies...

I've just had an hour long phone call with a 'Relocation Education Expert' who has pointed me in the direction of some good IB schools in Northern Sydney (eeek - the cost for 3 kids!!), but the good independent schools aren't much cheaper offering the HSC. The ideal would be the selective schools but we're not eligible on a 457... :-(. Which leaves moving into a catchment area for a good state school and paying for the location instead! I think we're just spoilt in the local area where we live now!

I agree that there are many ways to higher education and many unknowns in our scenario, and I'm guilty of trying to cover all my options and hedge my bets... my kids are fairly academic and we've always assumed the traditional route would be the one they would follow. This unsolicited opportunity has landed in our laps and I can't see this as anything more than a temporary move, possibly because that's already enough of a quantum leap for my head in the space of a month. I haven't been to Australia for over 20 years.

It would be lovely if all was great and we slotted right in and never wanted to leave... And cheaper too!!