16 year old & 13 Year old moving to MELBOURNE in August 2024

[InnerVoice]

On 05/12/2023 at 19:41, Quoll said:

 Given that he will be going into a program which is assessed on 2 years of work, he would be better to join year 10 when you arrive and then go into year 11 in 2024.

That's true, although if he's following an academic pathway then he can still obtain an ATAR because that's only assessed on Year 12 work. After obtaining a degree, the high school certificate becomes largely irrelevant in the same way that no one cares about GCSEs after your first job. It's also worth noting that if a student has insufficient points to obtain their Senior Secondary Certificate of Education by the end of Y12, further study they complete (for example Cert courses at TAFE) can count towards that too. In Queensland students can obtain their QCE up to 7 years after leaving school, although in practice schools do everything possible to ensure that those who put in the effort (and even quite a few who don't) get their high school certificate before they graduate Y12. It's one of those statistics that schools pride themselves on, like the league tables back in the UK.

Personally I think the 'earning or learning' policy is the worst thing that's ever happened in education. We now have a large number of disengaged students who are only in school because they haven't worked out what to do with themselves, and technically they're not allowed to leave. It's disappointing how many of them mess around right up to the end of Y12. They just don't mature in the school environment. Then 3 months later I'll see them working in the shopping centre or labouring somewhere, and they're as happy as Larry - full of enthusiasm and self-confidence. How much better would their lives have been if they'd had another two years of work experience behind them, rather than being pushed down an academic pathway that only suits a small percentage of students?

Maybe the OP's son will be better off completing both Y11 & Y12 but that depends on his ability and future aspirations, and I don't think it's wise to make generalisations that cover all cases. It's a decision for the OP and her son nearer time, with guidance from the school.

[InnerVoice]

On 05/12/2023 at 19:54, Quoll said:

You havent said whether you are coming on a permanent or temporary visa if it is with your husband's work.  If it's permanent then unless you hate the place you should be OK.  If it is a temporary visa then you might seriously want to consider what happens when you go home.  Year 12 results dont travel back to UK as well as A levels do to Australia and if a kid wants to go to a UK uni they often have to do a foundation year (because Australian education is one year less than UK education to that point) and if your son is aiming for Uni, and he wants to go to a UK uni, then you will be up for international student fees even if he is a British citizen (residence in the UK for 3 years immediately prior to starting Uni is required).  Also if you are on a temporary visa then things like apprenticeships will not be available to him in Aus and if he wanted to go to an Aus university he would be paying international fees. It's a bit of a minefield

That may have been true at one time but it isn't the case any more. British universities recognise the ATAR score for direct admission, even Oxford and Cambridge - just as long as you've got good enough grades for the subject(s) you wish to study.

[Quoll]

17 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

That may have been true at one time but it isn't the case any more. British universities recognise the ATAR score for direct admission, even Oxford and Cambridge - just as long as you've got good enough grades for the subject(s) you wish to study.

They will certainly if you're paying international fees. Oxbridge will be requiring 99.5+ I would think. 

[InnerVoice]

1 hour ago, Quoll said:

They will certainly if you're paying international fees. Oxbridge will be requiring 99.5+ I would think. 

98.5+ so you're not far off!