will my son have to resit gcses?

[Guest dave&jancook]

Hi

We are a family of 4 from Manchester England going to queensland 2010 my eldest son will be in his last year at school year 11 over here and will have done his gcse's.

 

dont understand what his position at school will be in Oz when we get there. Will he have to resit his gcse's and repeat his school year, because if he does we can go out there earlier, there doesnt seem any point oing them twice. My son is doing really well over here at school and I dont want to disrupt his education and confuse him!!!!:unsure:

 

Also he is very good at boxing, anyone got any info on boxing gyms on gold coast/sunshine coast need to find a good boxing gym!!!!!

 

Please help!!!!!:err:

 

Thankx

Jan

[Quoll]

No we dont have GCSEs in Aus. It is a totally different system with the final exams in year 12 being the end point of a two year course. It would be better for him if he can do the whole final two years - years 11 and 12 especially if he wants to go on to university or some other further study. If he comes here part way through that course there could be some difficulty in either crediting him with work done at that level or that he would not have done enough of the course to complete the year 12 assessment. Remember that the school year here starts at the end of January. Dont think of it as repeating anything just that he needs to do his final two years of schooling with kids of the same age.

[Guest dave&jancook]

Thank you

 

So would you advise us coming over next year instead of 2010.

Would it be pointless doing his exams over here and would it be better to just start them over there?

[Quoll]

Thank you

 

So would you advise us coming over next year instead of 2010.

Would it be pointless doing his exams over here and would it be better to just start them over there?

 

Personally I would think there is nothing to be gained by him doing his GCSEs unless he intends to study in UK again at some point. There is too the sense of closure he would get from having done them after doing all the course work. It really all depends on whether he is busting to leave school or not! He could easily begin year 11 and be just a bit older than his cohort if you came in 2010 (they are generally either just 16 or soon about to turn 16 at the beginning of year 11)

[Guest dave&jancook]

Thankx alot

 

We will probably come over a year earlier now!!!!!

Cheers mate

Jan

[samozsoon]

I would def come a year earlier if I had the chance again. We waited til our daughter had finished her GCSE's and she had started 6th form (she did 2 mths) before we moved. She was NOT impressed at having to do all her subjects again (maths, science, english) when she thought she'd seen the last of them, nor is she impressed with wearing a uniform again (complete with white ankle socks and big black shoes lol).

 

Also, you just never know how they will change their minds about coming, and believe me they might and it can cause a lot of upset when they suddenly say they dont want to come.

My advice to anyone with teens is 'get here as soon as you can'.

 

Sam x

[Guest dave&jancook]

Hi

 

Thankx for that info. youve been a great help

i think I will get him ther asap you never know like you say get him there whilst he wants to go!!!!!

 

Thankx

 

Jan

x

[Guest marty and debs]

Hi ,

Just reading the threads , we are in the same situ. Our son is 16 and in yr 11 .We are hoping to go with in the nxt yr or so. Does that mean the same for us ???? . If it does , don't know how we are going to break the news to him !!!.

 

 

Thanks Deb

[amandak]

Hi

 

We are in the same boat, our daughter is year 10, and one of the oldest in her class she will be 16 in Sept 08. I have been told by some friends in OZ, that she should NOT do her GCSE's because they don't mean any thing over in OZ. Daughter said she is not going till she has completed her GCSE's (quote " I have not study hard for a year to just throw it all away")

I have also been told at her age it will be better for her to go into OZ education to make new friends so she wont feel lonely when and if we ever get our visa. They will need to make friends and school will be a good start Hope this helps.

 

Amanda

[Guest cam7445]

My son is now in year 11 and he finishes his GCSEs on 11 june!!! I was advised to wait until he finishes his exams otherwise i would be sat in Brisbane now (we now fly on 26 june). It is all personal circumstances, we have to give him a chance. He will have to pay a lot of university fees as he cannot become a citizen for 4 years, ouch!!

[Guest Jo/Ray@westcliffRugby]

Have been reading this thread with great interest. We have two children daughter in year 10 and son currently in year 6. My daughter is refusing to leave for Australia until she has finished her exams, especially as her math and english are to be taken this November. We have had many :cry:tears and tantrums :arghh:because to be honest she does not want to go at all, but because of the work she has put into her exams we feel it is only fair to let her finish them and delay Australia until next year (Summer 2009), thats if we are successful with our application, then our next dilema will be do we go to Brisbane or Geelong Victoria :wacko: Would be interested to hear from parents with teenagers and how their transition to Oz has gone or is going - anything positive will help our cause!!! lol

 

Joanna & Ray

[Guest melissa]

I think you need to also take into account the fact that if you leave it until he's a year or so older, he may not want to come with you. 15/16 is a funny age for kids.

 

My son was 14 when we first visited Aus, at the time he was all for it but the process has taken so long that that now he is 16, he says he's not coming.

 

You think your kids will always want to be with you, but once they reach 16 they know it all(just like we did) and become more indepenant.

 

With hindsight and if i'd had the choice i would have taken him when he was 14.

 

Darren

[Guest JohnandTracy]

Hi

 

Not sure if this will be of any use to anyone here but I've been reading your posts with great interest.

 

I will be in the same situation as most of you - my daughter will have sat her GCSE's and done 4 months or so of lower sixth before we go.

 

I have spoken with two Australian gap students who work at her school as well as speaking with friends over in Oz who have children in their final two years of school and also my daughters school and everyone has advised that she does her GCSE's prior to us going out to Oz.

 

Even although Oz have no GCSE's and children sit their exams when they are 18 it is these exams that are equivalant in a sense to A Levels as the credits gained from these determine what courses they can go on to do at University. Also although GCSE's are not formally recognised in Oz when your child comes to do his/her CV and puts them down along with their Oz qualifications it is another qualification for them to show they have and there is nothing wrong with qualifications on a CV. What is to say your son/daughter will stay in Oz when they are grown up - they may well come back to the UK.

 

After having listened to everyone and having thought about what has been said I feel in the long run my daughter will benefit from sitting her GCSE's and she will be more prepared for the work ahead of her in her final two years in Oz - I've been told that the final two years work in Oz is very hard and the pressure is really put on.

 

I hope that this information helps and if anyone needs further information I can easily ask the gap students at her school and I'm sure they will be more than happy to pass on any information.

[Guest Jo/Ray@westcliffRugby]

JohnandTracy

My OH and I have definately decided to stay until after our daughters GCSE's she has just finished her mocks and got good grades it is only right that we let her finish what she has put so much effort into. She is also one of the young ones in her year and would have just reached 16 when she finishes year 11. They may not count for much in Australia but they do to her. Surely these qualification give schools and universities in Oz some idea of the level of education the children are working at? Question for your students are the levels of university degress in Oz compatible to the UK, daughter wants to be a primary school teacher! In the UK we have PGCE qualification which is a teaching qualification you can do if you don't do a teaching degree is this something that can be done in Oz. Sorry for such a indepth question. But as you said she may not want to stay in Australia and want to return.

 

Regards

Joanna

[Guest JohnandTracy]

JohnandTracy

My OH and I have definately decided to stay until after our daughters GCSE's she has just finished her mocks and got good grades it is only right that we let her finish what she has put so much effort into. She is also one of the young ones in her year and would have just reached 16 when she finishes year 11. They may not count for much in Australia but they do to her. Surely these qualification give schools and universities in Oz some idea of the level of education the children are working at? Question for your students are the levels of university degress in Oz compatible to the UK, daughter wants to be a primary school teacher! In the UK we have PGCE qualification which is a teaching qualification you can do if you don't do a teaching degree is this something that can be done in Oz. Sorry for such a indepth question. But as you said she may not want to stay in Australia and want to return.

 

Regards

Joanna

 

 

Hi

 

I've PM'd you.

 

Tracy

[Quoll]

JohnandTracy

My OH and I have definately decided to stay until after our daughters GCSE's she has just finished her mocks and got good grades it is only right that we let her finish what she has put so much effort into. She is also one of the young ones in her year and would have just reached 16 when she finishes year 11. They may not count for much in Australia but they do to her. Surely these qualification give schools and universities in Oz some idea of the level of education the children are working at? Question for your students are the levels of university degress in Oz compatible to the UK, daughter wants to be a primary school teacher! In the UK we have PGCE qualification which is a teaching qualification you can do if you don't do a teaching degree is this something that can be done in Oz. Sorry for such a indepth question. But as you said she may not want to stay in Australia and want to return.

 

Regards

Joanna

 

Yes Australia has a PGCE equivalent. Prerequisites are a 3 year degree (in Aus you dont do honours unless you do a fourth year). An example of such a course (this is the first one I found) can be seen here

 

I hate to say it but generally Australian schools dont give two hoots about what exams the kids have done overseas - they are only really interested in what they achieve at the end of year 12. I would think that someone who has done GCSEs and done well in them, will find the final two year course in Aus a breeze. I am a bit of a belt and braces kind of person so my own view is that you are sensible to let kids finish their GCSEs just in case it all goes pear shaped and you find yourself back in UK and your kids would then be struggling to get any half decent qualification. But technically it means nothing. Most kids who leave school, do so with year 12 qualifications and those are going t be of more interest to employers although these days just a year 12 cert is not going to get a kid very far. A year 10 cert is going to get them even less far!

 

Re equivalence of uni degrees - most kids just do their three year degrees which dont give them honours. They would not really be considered equivalent to a UK honours degree which can be achieved after 3 years of study in a UK uni (they are equivalent to a pass degree). But you have to remember that kids have one more year in UK schools than they do here so it all evens out in the end - by the end of a fourth year in an Aus uni to get your honours year, you will have done as many years as a student graduating with honours from a UK uni.

 

I hope it all works out for you - this is a really tricky time for a kid's education.

[Guest Jo/Ray@westcliffRugby]

Thank you Tracy have PM back

 

Jo

[Guest Jo/Ray@westcliffRugby]

Quoll

Thank you for your advise - Its good to know that she can follow her choice of career path should that still be the case. Her drama teacher last term was Australian (covering maternity leave). I think teaching is career thats in demand what ever country your in.

Thank you again

 

Jo

[nurse sue]

just reading some of the posts regarding GCSE to get some inspiration.

We have been in Australia since April my son is doing year 12 after advice from the school but he came home raging today:realmad: His Taffe teacher informed him that he wouldnt have enough credits to pass the year 12. (he is 17) they dont recognise GCSE qualifications what i cant understand after several hours in april with an education advisor at the school he attends she advised him of what he needed to do and added he did not need to do year 11 again the subjects he chose were limited due to not doing year 11 here in OZ but he prepared himself and has worked hard So we have had the stress of move new school reajustment for what:goofy: why didnt they tell us this before as you can imagine my son isnt happy and mum gets the blameI am on nigts but will heading of to the school tomorrow for a few words.

any one been in similiar situation would be grateful of any advice

[Guest planky]

Did you all sort out your kids schools before or after you moved to oz, I don't know if I should be looking at it now or wait till we get there so we can find local schools and see for ourselves what they are like...any advice would be appreciated.

 

Also, my 15 year old is causing havoc at the moment saying he doesn't want to come to oz, if i leave it till next year he definitely wont come as his dream has always been to join the army when leaving school, (at the moment i don't think it would be a bad idea....may teach him how to behave)...he is a nightmare at the moment and the school are always on the phone. He is not a badly behaved child, his problem is he just cant keep his gob shut...a very vocal young man but he has to learn that is what gets him into bother.....he is so headstrong, so stubborn....i could kill him at times!

 

So if I dont get him there this year I think we will have problems getting him there at all!!!

I must admit I know nothing about the oz education system and I must look at it closer, I feel I have neglected this area up to now as I have been so wrapped up in getting other things sorted first.

[Quoll]

just reading some of the posts regarding GCSE to get some inspiration.

We have been in Australia since April my son is doing year 12 after advice from the school but he came home raging today:realmad: His Taffe teacher informed him that he wouldnt have enough credits to pass the year 12. (he is 17) they dont recognise GCSE qualifications what i cant understand after several hours in april with an education advisor at the school he attends she advised him of what he needed to do and added he did not need to do year 11 again the subjects he chose were limited due to not doing year 11 here in OZ but he prepared himself and has worked hard So we have had the stress of move new school reajustment for what:goofy: why didnt they tell us this before as you can imagine my son isnt happy and mum gets the blameI am on nigts but will heading of to the school tomorrow for a few words.

any one been in similiar situation would be grateful of any advice

 

OMG that really was bad advice - I am surprised that they said that becaIuse it is well known certainly in other jurisdictions that they dont give credit for GCSE as being year 11 equivalents. It isnt "doing year 11 again" it is really that the last two years are a contained course and you really have to do the whole course or you will be significantly disadvantaged. If your son had done some A level courses then they are able to give credit for them apparently. You may find that there are bridging courses (we have one at one of our universities) for people who fall through the gap of year 12. He could move to year 11 now without too much of a detriment other than to his self esteem - missing one semester will still make it tough though.

 

I hope you can sort something out for him!

[Quoll]

Did you all sort out your kids schools before or after you moved to oz, I don't know if I should be looking at it now or wait till we get there so we can find local schools and see for ourselves what they are like...any advice would be appreciated.

 

Also, my 15 year old is causing havoc at the moment saying he doesn't want to come to oz, if i leave it till next year he definitely wont come as his dream has always been to join the army when leaving school, (at the moment i don't think it would be a bad idea....may teach him how to behave)...he is a nightmare at the moment and the school are always on the phone. He is not a badly behaved child, his problem is he just cant keep his gob shut...a very vocal young man but he has to learn that is what gets him into bother.....he is so headstrong, so stubborn....i could kill him at times!

 

So if I dont get him there this year I think we will have problems getting him there at all!!!

I must admit I know nothing about the oz education system and I must look at it closer, I feel I have neglected this area up to now as I have been so wrapped up in getting other things sorted first.

 

All depends on where you are going but I would tend to leave it until you get here. The moral from a previous post though is that the last 2 years of school are crucial because if you dont have the right number of credits you wont pass year 12 and that is the basic qualification requested by employers. The army would look more favourably on a year 12 qualification than a half hearted year 10 pass - check out the entry requirements for the army to show him. Also, he could look at joining the army cadets when he gets here if that is what takes his fancy. All depending on which state you go to, he could be too young to finish school!

[Guest planky]

All depends on where you are going but I would tend to leave it until you get here. The moral from a previous post though is that the last 2 years of school are crucial because if you dont have the right number of credits you wont pass year 12 and that is the basic qualification requested by employers. The army would look more favourably on a year 12 qualification than a half hearted year 10 pass - check out the entry requirements for the army to show him. Also, he could look at joining the army cadets when he gets here if that is what takes his fancy. All depending on which state you go to, he could be too young to finish school!

 

Thanks for replying!!

He will still be 15 when we get there this year and is in his 2nd last year at school now, the plan is for him to do his last 2 years of school in Australia.

We are going to Perth.

I have told him he could join the army in Oz after finishing school there, or come back to uk to join if possible, and what a good idea about the cadets, thanks for that!!!!!!

Alison

[Guest Jo/Ray@westcliffRugby]

Hello Nurse Sue

We will be in the same situation as yourself when we get to Oz. Our daughter is currently in UK year 10 and will finish her GSCE's May 2009, and we hope to be in Oz by July 2009 (she would have just turned 16). Am interested to know how you got on with the school regarding your sons credits for year 12. We are moving to Victoria and wondering if this would be different. Hope you got things sorted.

 

Regards

 

Joanna

[nurse sue]

Hello Nurse Sue

We will be in the same situation as yourself when we get to Oz. Our daughter is currently in UK year 10 and will finish her GSCE's May 2009, and we hope to be in Oz by July 2009 (she would have just turned 16). Am interested to know how you got on with the school regarding your sons credits for year 12. We are moving to Victoria and wondering if this would be different. Hope you got things sorted.

 

Regards

 

Joanna

 

will keep you posted going to the school on monday I think it may be fruitful for your daughter to do year 11 and 12 i wish we had been given that option:arghh:may be an idea to contact school or local education dept where you are planning to go andsee what they suggest also for your daughter to have an idea of what career path way she wants to take. Son came home the other day and said would like to join the police :policeman: that was before we found out he may not get credits for year 12