Moving a 16 year old back to the UK.

Hi Everyone,

We've decided after 13 years of living in Qld to call it a day and move back to the UK in August. We're doing this for a number of reasons but the most important is to be closer to family whilst they are still around. Our biggest issue is our eldest daughter who is 16 next month and how she'll fit into the uk school system. We've been told by friends she will have to re-sit her year 11 which she has just started in January (here in Oz) which although isn't ideal she is quite happy with that and so are we, BUT we've just been told she will have to re-do her year 10 in the UK aswell as the GCSE's are a 2 year study course. This will mean she will be basically kept behind for 2 years which is too much I feel.

Is this correct? I know I should just wait until tomorrow night and ring the school we are intending to put her into in September but to be honest I'm devastated and I'm hoping someone can give me something to cling to now!

Hi Everyone,

 

We've decided after 13 years of living in Qld to call it a day and move back to the UK in August. We're doing this for a number of reasons but the most important is to be closer to family whilst they are still around. Our biggest issue is our eldest daughter who is 16 next month and how she'll fit into the uk school system. We've been told by friends she will have to re-sit her year 11 which she has just started in January (here in Oz) which although isn't ideal she is quite happy with that and so are we, BUT we've just been told she will have to re-do her year 10 in the UK aswell as the GCSE's are a 2 year study course. This will mean she will be basically kept behind for 2 years which is too much I feel.

 

Is this correct? I know I should just wait until tomorrow night and ring the school we are intending to put her into in September but to be honest I'm devastated and I'm hoping someone can give me something to cling to now!

From my experience, yes that's right, but she could go to college and do her GCSE's there instead..

From my experience, yes that's right, but she could go to college and do her GCSE's there instead..

OP, this could be possible but check as it could be there are international fees attached due to the non residence aspect. Perhaps college may not fall in to this but it may well.

Robswife, So instead of going into a secondary school we would just enrol her into the local Met. College instead and she could do her GSCE's there?

OP, this could be possible but check as it could be there are international fees attached due to the non residence aspect. Perhaps college may not fall in to this but it may well.

Great, thanks I'll look into it tomorrow and see if we get any joy.

TBH you've picked an awkward time to with a child at 16. You may well have to, for her to achieve the best possible outcome have to let her do the 2 years and just accept that. No point pushing her into something and possibly asking too much of her from an education system she nor you are familiar with. Its different to Aus and so there are some aspects that its not worth cutting corners on. This might be one of them.

Great, thanks I'll look into it tomorrow and see if we get any joy.

Keep in mind if she goes straight into college in September she'll be one of or the very youngest and others will be a year or two older than her, if not perhaps more (often older students on same courses etc).

Good grief, this is getting too hard by the second. Thank you very much for your thoughts I really appreciate it. Its a toss up of her being too old by 2 years in school or possibly being too young by 2 years in college. The poor kid is out all day today so we can't speak to her about it until tonight. We certainly won't be pushing her into anything.

Thanks again

Plenty of colleges take kids from 16 - it's where the kids go to do A-levels when their schools don't have 6th forms. In my old home town there are two of them. While you will get some older students at these colleges you will also get plenty of 16 year olds. Some of them will even be there to resist GCSEs, which often they will do in one year. I don't know how bright your daughter is but she may well be able to do a handful of GCSEs in a year at a 6th form college and then go on to do A-levels at the same place.

We only moved out here 3 years ago, youngest was 14 and has struggled with school since being here, back in UK he was doing so well, that and other issues aside I went back to UK with him last year after emails and phone calls to school to set him up again to start in September.

Cut a long story short they couldn't place him in what would then be yr 12 but offered him a place in yr 10 to restart GCSE's which I know would have been tough initially being the eldest in the class but I felt would have given him the best opportunity, he didn't want this at 16 can't/couldn't see the bigger picture. College was the other option(s), do his GCSE's or apply for apprenticeship which would also incorporate Maths & English GCSE as well with support from college staff if needed.

Anyway that didn't happen either as he didn't want the family to split up (not that it would happen) but didn't say this to me at the time so consequently we came back here...

If your daughter (and girls are better at this I think) could look at the advantages of going into yr 10 even though she would be the eldest, I would go for it. She would have the opportunity to make new friends which can be difficult at any age, join in school activities, have support from school etc. by the time she finished school she could still go to college or apply to university and hopefully not have the international fees applied at uni, I believe you have to be resident in UK 3 yrs prior to applying at uni for these not to be imposed - found this out when eldest was applying to go back to do nurse training over there

Hope all this makes some sense

Ok so she turns 16 in March. So some kids would turn 16 for a few months more and still start college in the September. So its not all doom and gloom. She would be on the younger side of that year group, but not the youngest now I think about it some more. More kids are born in the first 4-5 months of the English school year than in the last few months though. The tail off is noticeable. I'd expect most of those to either be on courses at college, A levels and/or sitting GCSE's they perhaps didn't do or failed to pass at school.

So she could slot in fine but there could also be some older kids, adults and so on sitting GCSE's depending on the subjects. Also its a lot to go sit a bunch of GCSE's at college. Does she have any particular areas she is strong in? What does she hope to do job or career wise? She'd need Maths and English I'd expect. Then whatever else around that.

Also consider the discipline needed for college. You don't have people chasing your parents if you don't turn up on a day or skip a class. You are more independent and don't get quite the same type of support as a kid at school would. Also you as parents wouldn't have the same involvement or input into college. And you will need to be prepared that the ages of the people sitting those same classes could vary somewhat. I know a friend of mine went back to college recently, is her early 40's and had people years apart in age doing the same GCSE in her group. She only went in one day a week for her classes and did lots of home study.

I'd talk to the school first, see what is what and then research college options if needed. It might not be needed.

We've spoken to our daughter about doing year 10 and and she's completely "meh, I'm not bothered." She's a cool kid, the next worry is whether the school will find a place for her.

Thanks to all for your kind words of advice they were all very much appreciated.

Hi Everyone,

 

We've decided after 13 years of living in Qld to call it a day and move back to the UK in August. We're doing this for a number of reasons but the most important is to be closer to family whilst they are still around. Our biggest issue is our eldest daughter who is 16 next month and how she'll fit into the uk school system. We've been told by friends she will have to re-sit her year 11 which she has just started in January (here in Oz) which although isn't ideal she is quite happy with that and so are we, BUT we've just been told she will have to re-do her year 10 in the UK aswell as the GCSE's are a 2 year study course. This will mean she will be basically kept behind for 2 years which is too much I feel.

 

Is this correct? I know I should just wait until tomorrow night and ring the school we are intending to put her into in September but to be honest I'm devastated and I'm hoping someone can give me something to cling to now!

Hi My friends daughter came back at that age - she did her GSCE's herself ie not at school - maybe online - not sure how she did it but you could research that - only maths and english - and she joined the lower sixth to do 'a' levels - she is now at Uni

Another option - which you probably won't like is to consider leaving her in Aus to finish her last year or so of school - there are homestay options and quite a few kids at my daughter's school in Brisbane were in that situation.

If she is considering Uni, you will need to have lived in UK for 3 years - otherwise she will pay international rates so that is maybe another thing to consider.

Or lastly is it not possible for you to delay your return as she is so near to the end of schooling in Aus?

I do understand what you are going through as I returned last July (after 9 years in Brisbane) for the same reasons as you state and there are so many things to consider for each family member and to know what is the right way forward. Your head will feel like exploding with all the thoughts and options !

There is no point staying to finish Oz schooling! A. HSC means nothing in England B.She will not be able to do her 3 years residency in time to avoid international fees

Come back sooner rather than later

My boys have told me that even year nine stuff will be included in the GCSE. They are making disruption very difficult. Year tens this year also get a new syllabus.

A sixth form college is the best bet - lots of 16 year olds resit GCSE's or take new ones (I taught psychology at a 6th form) and they are delivered as 1 year courses.

If there aren't 6th form colleges where you are moving to then a FE college would offer the same but may be mostly mature students if schools have 6th forms.

I wouldn't put a 16 year old with 14 year olds myself and I doubt a school would allow it anyway.

A lot depends on her academic ability and ambitions.

A quick update for anyone who's interested.

The preferred secondary school we were hoping for have said they will not take her as we are not living in the catchment area, so in other words there is nothing we can do until we move there.

We then tried the grammar school and they were great. They said they will see where she is up to and decide whether its year 10 or year 11. She will however have to do a test which they have emailed to my daughters school here in Brissy which hopefully should be done in the next week. If she passes my daughter and wife are getting shoved onto a plane in the next few weeks and my wife will come back here after a couple of weeks after getting my daughter settled with family and school routine , etc. Private tuition is almost definitely going to be needed to catch up. If my daughter fails the test then we have a back up plan that is already becoming frustrating. We contacted Wirral borough council as we'd been directed by the school to register my daughter and they replied by saying its a matter between your chosen school and yourselves. We contacted the school and they said to register with the council. Fingers crossed my daughter passes the test.

Hey BrisPaul, How did you go with your plans last year?

We have just done the same. Returned from Perth to Kent, Youngest daughter of 10Yrs has gone straight into school here but our 16 Year old, who should have started Year 11 on 1st Feb in Aus is now having trouble finding somewhere to take her at her age without GCSE's.

Ive emailed numberous schools and colleges. The colleges want £5000 per year as shes an international student ( we were in Aus 5 yrs) Just seems like a headache and she is desperate to go back to school and gain an excellent career.

A quick update for anyone who's interested.

 

The preferred secondary school we were hoping for have said they will not take her as we are not living in the catchment area, so in other words there is nothing we can do until we move there.

We then tried the grammar school and they were great. They said they will see where she is up to and decide whether its year 10 or year 11. She will however have to do a test which they have emailed to my daughters school here in Brissy which hopefully should be done in the next week. If she passes my daughter and wife are getting shoved onto a plane in the next few weeks and my wife will come back here after a couple of weeks after getting my daughter settled with family and school routine , etc. Private tuition is almost definitely going to be needed to catch up. If my daughter fails the test then we have a back up plan that is already becoming frustrating. We contacted Wirral borough council as we'd been directed by the school to register my daughter and they replied by saying its a matter between your chosen school and yourselves. We contacted the school and they said to register with the council. Fingers crossed my daughter passes the test.

I teach at a secondary school here in the UK. We have a student in Year 10 who is a year older than the cohort due to coming back from Australia. My daughter finished year 10 in Australia then we enrolled her in a school here for Year 11 (December 2014). The downside was that she could not do subjects that had a course work component, e.g. drama. She was given a line off to focus on her studies and took her exams in May/June 2015. It was hard work, but she did really well. She is now doing her A levels at sixth form college. The problem we are now having is that she is 8 weeks short for the domestic fee three year rule for university. She may have to take a gap year, which will be OK with her as she has a May birthday so is young for the year. Don't forget that the new GCSE grades are now in (1-9) rather than the old A* to E grades. Most courses have had their controlled assessment components removed so it is all exam based assessment. As teachers, we are finding it very content heavy, but that is another story.

Hi Everyone,

 

We've decided after 13 years of living in Qld to call it a day and move back to the UK in August. We're doing this for a number of reasons but the most important is to be closer to family whilst they are still around. Our biggest issue is our eldest daughter who is 16 next month and how she'll fit into the uk school system. We've been told by friends she will have to re-sit her year 11 which she has just started in January (here in Oz) which although isn't ideal she is quite happy with that and so are we, BUT we've just been told she will have to re-do her year 10 in the UK aswell as the GCSE's are a 2 year study course. This will mean she will be basically kept behind for 2 years which is too much I feel.

 

Is this correct? I know I should just wait until tomorrow night and ring the school we are intending to put her into in September but to be honest I'm devastated and I'm hoping someone can give me something to cling to now!

That does not seem right that what has been done here will not help over in the UK. Can understand having to do one year, but two years is a fair chunk to have to re-sit. When we moved our son back we contacted both the school and the local education authority to see what the best thing to do was and get the information we needed first hand. We moved our son back so he started high school with the rest of the kids. That way he was new like the rest and didn’t stand out too much. Your daughter starting in September will hopefully help her settle in quicker. The UK school and the Oz school did not seem to communicate, so our son was placed in the middle classes. This was only fair as the UK school didn’t know where he was educationally. However, after the first round of exams he was moved up to top set in maths and second in English. That is one good thing that they did move our son up as soon as they know his ability. That may be an option, to have your daughter sit mock exams to help show her level of knowledge and ability.

On a side note, with our son we got him into as many activities as possibly, such as scouts and rugby. These have helped him forge new friendships and help him get over the move and leaving his friends. We are looking to get him into more activities, but have to balance them with the school work he will have and the need for down-time. When we move back with our daughter we will be getting her into as many out of school activities as possibly to help her with the move.

I teach at a secondary school here in the UK. We have a student in Year 10 who is a year older than the cohort due to coming back from Australia. My daughter finished year 10 in Australia then we enrolled her in a school here for Year 11 (December 2014). The downside was that she could not do subjects that had a course work component, e.g. drama. She was given a line off to focus on her studies and took her exams in May/June 2015. It was hard work, but she did really well. She is now doing her A levels at sixth form college. The problem we are now having is that she is 8 weeks short for the domestic fee three year rule for university. She may have to take a gap year, which will be OK with her as she has a May birthday so is young for the year. Don't forget that the new GCSE grades are now in (1-9) rather than the old A* to E grades. Most courses have had their controlled assessment components removed so it is all exam based assessment. As teachers, we are finding it very content heavy, but that is another story.

That was one of the factors that we took into consideration when we decided to send our son back to the UK and start high school while we are still in Australia wrapping up things. We wanted to make sure that he has enough time in the bank so that he can pass the domestic fee three year rule for university. Higher education is in the way our son wishes to go. Also with starting high school with everyone else he will not be the odd one out. On our side, the good thing is that we know our son is settled in and we only have one child to worry about and get settled when we make the move. As we know that it is going to be a hard move back, so one less thing to worry about and have to sort out is more than welcome.

I teach at a secondary school here in the UK. We have a student in Year 10 who is a year older than the cohort due to coming back from Australia. My daughter finished year 10 in Australia then we enrolled her in a school here for Year 11 (December 2014). The downside was that she could not do subjects that had a course work component, e.g. drama. She was given a line off to focus on her studies and took her exams in May/June 2015. It was hard work, but she did really well. She is now doing her A levels at sixth form college. The problem we are now having is that she is 8 weeks short for the domestic fee three year rule for university. She may have to take a gap year, which will be OK with her as she has a May birthday so is young for the year. Don't forget that the new GCSE grades are now in (1-9) rather than the old A* to E grades. Most courses have had their controlled assessment components removed so it is all exam based assessment. As teachers, we are finding it very content heavy, but that is another story.

Hi Goldyshell, It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride but its all good now. Both girls didn't pass the tests to get into the Grammar school. The gap was huge in relation to where both girls where in their schooling. We ended up putting them both into a local high school that had a good reputation. The 16 year old unfortunately had to be put back a year and with a reasonable bit of effort has got herself unto where she needs to be for her upcoming GCSE's. There wasn't even a conversation about her going straight into year 11 as there is to much to catch up on and it would've been unfair to put that pressure on her.

Good luck with everything

Hi Goldyshell, It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride but its all good now. Both girls didn't pass the tests to get into the Grammar school. The gap was huge in relation to where both girls where in their schooling. We ended up putting them both into a local high school that had a good reputation. The 16 year old unfortunately had to be put back a year and with a reasonable bit of effort has got herself unto where she needs to be for her upcoming GCSE's. There wasn't even a conversation about her going straight into year 11 as there is to much to catch up on and it would've been unfair to put that pressure on her.

 

Good luck with everything

Oh I'm so glad it worked out for them.

Today, after a couple of weeks of being back and lots of emails and phone calls we have found a secondary school who will take her. They were astounded that the colleges wanted £5000 per year to put her through her courses. They said they will do whatever they can to help her and prep her for her GCSE's. mock tests and lots of prep over the next couple of months for a chance to sit two GCSE's in May [emoji15]to get her on the right track. She's keen and they are keen, they said she will be an asset to their school. I have my fingers and toes crossed that this works out

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That is great news that all is good now. Shame they didn’t pass the tests, but if they were not quite at that level there is no point them going up to a year where they are going to struggle and give up with it all. At least the 16 year old only had to go back one year. Looking on the bright side, with one extra year it will give her an extra year to make up her mind about what she wants to do after school. Or even confirm if what she originally wanted to do is still the way she wants to go.