What year for children in school from uk

[Dancha85]

Hi, I have a potential job offer so starting to look for schools for my children so we can get the right one. 
my children will be 13 year 9 and 11 year 7 when we go. The person I spoke to recommended they go into the year below their uk year, mainly for social reasons with them being with their own age groups.

 

my concerns are

-my children don’t struggle at all academically at the moment so moving them down a year may be boring for them. 

-if we did return to the uk they would be quite behind particularly as it would be very close to GCSEs 

-do I have the option to choose which year they go in or is it purely down to their age? 
 

I really need to get it right for the children and I’m so torn, my children socialise well with mixed ages and within a school year ages can vary a year anyway, so I’m not sure this part of it actually matters? 
 

thank you 

[Quoll]

The year level will depend on the state you go to and their birth dates.  Kids are usually placed with their social cohort - the cut off dates are pretty well adhered to unless you can prove profound giftedness across the board - academically, socially and emotionally.  Not much point in having cut off dates if you dont adhere to them - and Australia generally doesnt much like tall poppies.  You may find, though that it might be more than a nominal year - my grandson, for example is year 5 in UK but when he started year 5 in UK he would have just been finishing up year 3 here in Australia - dont get hung up on the year names.  

If you are on a temporary visa so you can prove that they will be returning to UK and their birth dates are very close to the cut off you might get a bit of leeway - probably more likely in private schools.  I would suggest, though, that if you have a kid who is heading towards GCSE and you know you are going back, send them back to board with family so they can get a year in before they start their GCSE and give them time to catch up.  You wont find  13 year olds in year 9 here nor 11 year olds in year 7 however you may well find 15 year olds in year 9 and 13 year olds in year 7 - the social cohort is important!

You're moving to a foreign country so you arent moving them down a year, they've never done that year in Australia before. However, UK education is generally well ahead of Australian education at the same age and, yes, if they go back to UK then they will have missed out on quite a bit but we have reports of returnees who say that UK schools are really good about getting kids back up to speed.  The focus in Australia is probably going to be different - more independent learning and less rote stuff, fewer tests and possibly less overall stress.

 

[Dancha85]

8 hours ago, Quoll said:

The year level will depend on the state you go to and their birth dates.  Kids are usually placed with their social cohort - the cut off dates are pretty well adhered to unless you can prove profound giftedness across the board - academically, socially and emotionally.  Not much point in having cut off dates if you dont adhere to them - and Australia generally doesnt much like tall poppies.  You may find, though that it might be more than a nominal year - my grandson, for example is year 5 in UK but when he started year 5 in UK he would have just been finishing up year 3 here in Australia - dont get hung up on the year names.  

If you are on a temporary visa so you can prove that they will be returning to UK and their birth dates are very close to the cut off you might get a bit of leeway - probably more likely in private schools.  I would suggest, though, that if you have a kid who is heading towards GCSE and you know you are going back, send them back to board with family so they can get a year in before they start their GCSE and give them time to catch up.  You wont find  13 year olds in year 9 here nor 11 year olds in year 7 however you may well find 15 year olds in year 9 and 13 year olds in year 7 - the social cohort is important!

You're moving to a foreign country so you arent moving them down a year, they've never done that year in Australia before. However, UK education is generally well ahead of Australian education at the same age and, yes, if they go back to UK then they will have missed out on quite a bit but we have reports of returnees who say that UK schools are really good about getting kids back up to speed.  The focus in Australia is probably going to be different - more independent learning and less rote stuff, fewer tests and possibly less overall stress.

 

Thank you, this is really helpful.

 

My son will be 14 in the July, and my daughter 12 in the July. So would this make them the youngest in the year or a whole year younger? 

 

I am not planning to return however, I need it make sure I have thought of every avenue just in case it does happen. I like the Australian system for the lack of tests and stress but I don't want my kids to be bored academically, when they have already done that year and 1/3 of the year above. I don't think either would struggle being in their current UK years over there however the social side will be important.

 

[bluequay]

We have April and July born children and our plan is that they will be finishing in July this year and then not starting school until in January in Australia, we would like them to repeat the years they are doing now in the UK to give them a chance to settle into their new environment without being too stressed educationally. We have no intention of returning to the UK though.

[Dancha85]

13 minutes ago, bluequay said:

We have April and July born children and our plan is that they will be finishing in July this year and then not starting school until in January in Australia, we would like them to repeat the years they are doing now in the UK to give them a chance to settle into their new environment without being too stressed educationally. We have no intention of returning to the UK though.

Ok, that's interesting. What do you plan to do with them until January. 

 

Yes I suppose the settling part is important. Thank You

[bluequay]

UK Summer holidays, then my wife will travel over end of September with the kids, stay with family and hopefully get a head start on finding a new house and school, the two kind of go together as there is no point in finding a nice house if the school it's zoned for has no space or isn't the right fit.

Edited March 21 by bluequay

[Dancha85]

3 minutes ago, bluequay said:

UK Summer holidays, then my wife will travel over end of September with the kids, stay with family and hopefully get a head start on finding a new house and school, the two kind of go together as there is no point in finding a nice house if the school it's zoned for has no space or isn't the right fit.

Yes that's a great plan. I'm not sure how we will work it yet, but probably be winging it as always. planning to go straight after xmas then we can hopefully be settled before we start work/school end of Jan.

[bluequay]

Just be aware that compared to the UK, Australia can appear to be pretty much closed from Christmas through the first 2 weeks in January!! It's combined summer and Christmas holidays so it can be hard to get anything done!!

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, Dancha85 said:

Yes that's a great plan. I'm not sure how we will work it yet, but probably be winging it as always. planning to go straight after xmas then we can hopefully be settled before we start work/school end of Jan.

TBH that's not a great time to make the move.  Many real estate agents will be closed for the first two weeks in January so you won't be able to start searching for a rental property until mid-Jan.  I'm not sure if you're aware how inspections work -- most rental properties are only open for inspection on Saturdays (and occasionally once mid-week), so it's not like you'll be able to spend two weeks viewing properties, in fact it will be only two Saturdays. Given the tight rental market, I worry that won't be enough time.

 

[Dancha85]

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

TBH that's not a great time to make the move.  Many real estate agents will be closed for the first two weeks in January so you won't be able to start searching for a rental property until mid-Jan.  I'm not sure if you're aware how inspections work -- most rental properties are only open for inspection on Saturdays (and occasionally once mid-week), so it's not like you'll be able to spend two weeks viewing properties, in fact it will be only two Saturdays. Given the tight rental market, I worry that won't be enough time.

 

Ah thats a nightmare. I can't really come any other time, As i finish my current job before Christmas and start my new job end of January.

 

I was initially thinking we will come over in an air B&B for a couple of weeks to allow us to get sorted, but that wont work too well will it. 

 

Can we start the rent process before we move over so it's ready not long after we get there? Or do we stay in an air B&B longer to give us more time?

[Dancha85]

3 hours ago, bluequay said:

Just be aware that compared to the UK, Australia can appear to be pretty much closed from Christmas through the first 2 weeks in January!! It's combined summer and Christmas holidays so it can be hard to get anything done!!

Hmm hadn't realised that. We might need another plan. Maybe we will have to set up camp on the beach

[Quoll]

11 hours ago, bluequay said:

We have April and July born children and our plan is that they will be finishing in July this year and then not starting school until in January in Australia, we would like them to repeat the years they are doing now in the UK to give them a chance to settle into their new environment without being too stressed educationally. We have no intention of returning to the UK though.

You realise that school attendance is mandatory for kids under 17? Nobody minds the odd month while you get settled but almost 6 months is a bit much.  Once you've got a place to live, you can enrol kids at any time and allowing them to make friends in the community is a good way to cope with the long holiday boredom. They'll feel more comfortable at the start of a new school year having a few mates too. 

They won't be "repeating" anything, they're moving to a foreign country to engage with their social cohort.

[Quoll]

11 hours ago, bluequay said:

UK Summer holidays, then my wife will travel over end of September with the kids, stay with family and hopefully get a head start on finding a new house and school, the two kind of go together as there is no point in finding a nice house if the school it's zoned for has no space or isn't the right fit.

Schools are obliged to find places for kids in their priority enrolment area - not like UK. Usual rule of thumb is that if you wouldn't want to live in a suburb you wouldn't want your child to go to a school in that suburb. If you're happy to live there, the kids will probably be just fine in the local school.

[Quoll]

12 hours ago, Dancha85 said:

Thank you, this is really helpful.

 

My son will be 14 in the July, and my daughter 12 in the July. So would this make them the youngest in the year or a whole year younger? 

 

I am not planning to return however, I need it make sure I have thought of every avenue just in case it does happen. I like the Australian system for the lack of tests and stress but I don't want my kids to be bored academically, when they have already done that year and 1/3 of the year above. I don't think either would struggle being in their current UK years over there however the social side will be important.

 

Which state? If you're going to NSW which has the latest cut off at 31 July they'll potentially be the youngest but many of their age will have chosen not to start school that young and will be in the year below.

If you're going to Vic then they'll be one of the older ones as cut off is end April as is ACT and SA. WA, Qld, and NT have cut off 30 June.

You'd think we'd have it all the same huh, but, no.

Please stop thinking that they will have already done the year plus - it's a foreign country with completely different education systems. They've never done that year in Australia. If you're not planning to go back to UK, the UK system is going to be irrelevant.

You don't, say, however if you have  a permanent or temporary visa - if its temporary then you'll be up for several thousand dollars a year in school fees, especially in NSW.

Edited March 21 by Quoll

[Quoll]

8 hours ago, Dancha85 said:

Hmm hadn't realised that. We might need another plan. Maybe we will have to set up camp on the beach

Don't joke about that! There is a "tent city" in Brisbane because people can't get housing!  You won't be able to start finding accommodation before you arrive but you should book your Airbnb now because there will be big pressure on them over the summer. Book for a couple of months at least. 

[Dancha85]

20 minutes ago, Quoll said:

Which state? If you're going to NSW which has the latest cut off at 31 July they'll potentially be the youngest but many of their age will have chosen not to start school that young and will be in the year below.

If you're going to Vic then they'll be one of the older ones as cut off is end April as is ACT and SA. WA, Qld, and NT have cut off 30 June.

You'd think we'd have it all the same huh, but, no.

Please stop thinking that they will have already done the year plus - it's a foreign country with completely different education systems. They've never done that year in Australia. If you're not planning to go back to UK, the UK system is going to be irrelevant.

You don't, say, however if you have  a permanent or temporary visa - if its temporary then you'll be up for several thousand dollars a year in school fees, especially in NSW.

It will be NSW. Yes you would think it would be the same. 
 

At the moment, all I have is a job offer, we are discussing visas. do you know the cost for senior schools in NSW? I know they have been offered places at the school I have the job offer for but that is private so has fees. 
 

Thank you 

[Dancha85]

10 minutes ago, Quoll said:

Don't joke about that! There is a "tent city" in Brisbane because people can't get housing!  You won't be able to start finding accommodation before you arrive but you should book your Airbnb now because there will be big pressure on them over the summer. Book for a couple of months at least. 

Yes sorry. 
 

I will get it booked as soon I accept the job offer and know which visa route we are doing. 

[Marisawright]

8 hours ago, Dancha85 said:

I was initially thinking we will come over in an air B&B for a couple of weeks to allow us to get sorted, but that wont work too well will it. 

Can we start the rent process before we move over so it's ready not long after we get there? Or do we stay in an air B&B longer to give us more time?

Most people get an AirBnB or holiday let for 4 weeks.  In the current tight rental market, depending where you're moving to, you might need 6 weeks. 

I wouldn't advise starting the rental process before you move.  Real estate agents here are crooks;  they shamelessly Photoshop all the images online, so you'd be a fool to sign up for a property without seeing it in person.  

If it's really impossible to move earlier, then I'd be engaging a relocation company.  They're not cheap, but then neither is 6 weeks in an AirBnB.  Where are you moving to?

BTW I'd be surprised if your visa will come through in time to start work next January, but maybe 482s are being processed quickly at the moment?

 

[Dancha85]

21 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Most people get an AirBnB or holiday let for 4 weeks.  In the current tight rental market, depending where you're moving to, you might need 6 weeks. 

I wouldn't advise starting the rental process before you move.  Real estate agents here are crooks;  they shamelessly Photoshop all the images online, so you'd be a fool to sign up for a property without seeing it in person.  

If it's really impossible to move earlier, then I'd be engaging a relocation company.  They're not cheap, but then neither is 6 weeks in an AirBnB.  Where are you moving to?

BTW I'd be surprised if your visa will come through in time to start work next January, but maybe 482s are being processed quickly at the moment?

 

Ok I’ll start looking for longer air b&bs. 
 

good to know about the agents. How long does it usually take to move in to a rental once you have found one? 
 

what is a relocation agent? Will they find us a property? 
 

we are hoping to be around Wilton/moss vale. But work in Wollongong so could go closer too especially if short term. 
 

yes seems slightly conflicting advice for visas at the moment, some people getting them in a few months, which is too soon for us. But then some take a long time. We will have to see on that front. 

[Marisawright]

43 minutes ago, Dancha85 said:

good to know about the agents. How long does it usually take to move in to a rental once you have found one? 

Depends if the property is vacant or not, and whether it's been let before.  If it's not vacant, obviously you have to wait till the previous tenants move out, but the paperwork can be done in the meantime, then a week for them to inspect and take photos.  If it's vacant and been let before, then it's just a question of how quick the agency is at doing the paperwork.  If it's brand new, they may  not have done all the initial photos, condition report etc so there can be a lot of faffing around. 

43 minutes ago, Dancha85 said:

what is a relocation agent? Will they find us a property?

A relocation agent is a company that helps with international relocations, usually for corporations who are moving executives around. That's why they can be pricey, but the bonus is that you won't need to spend weeks in an Airbnb, because they can find a property for you.  Here's an example but there are several more in Sydney, who would also cover Wollongong:

https://www.expat.com.au/relocation-to-sydney/

 

43 minutes ago, Dancha85 said:

yes seems slightly conflicting advice for visas at the moment, some people getting them in a few months, which is too soon for us. 

There's no such thing as "too soon" if you're looking at a January move.  You don't have to up and move the moment you get the visa!

Edited March 21 by Marisawright

[Dancha85]

2 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Depends if the property is vacant or not, and whether it's been let before.  If it's not vacant, obviously you have to wait till the previous tenants move out, but the paperwork can be done in the meantime, then a week for them to inspect and take photos.  If it's vacant and been let before, then it's just a question of how quick the agency is at doing the paperwork.  If it's brand new, they may  not have done all the initial photos, condition report etc so there can be a lot of faffing around. 

A relocation agent is a company that helps with international relocations, usually for corporations who are moving executives around. That's why they can be pricey, but the bonus is that you won't need to spend weeks in an Airbnb, because they can find a property for you.  Here's an example but there are several more in Sydney, who would also cover Wollongong:

https://www.expat.com.au/relocation-to-sydney/

 

There's no such thing as "too soon" if you're looking at a January move.  You don't have to up and move the moment you get the visa!

Great thank you! 
 

I will have a look at the relocation agent.

 

yes I know we don’t have to go immediately but I didn’t want to secure a job before January as that’s the earliest we want to go. 
 

[Marisawright]

Just now, Dancha85 said:

yes I know we don’t have to go immediately but I didn’t want to secure a job before January as that’s the earliest we want to go. 
 

At this stage, it would be unrealistic for anyone to offer you a job any earlier. The risk of not getting the visa would be too high.

[BendigoBoy]

The only thing I would add is perhaps to put a little caution - not cold water - on your approach.
You say you don't intend to return.  Without meaning any disrespect, or trying to put a dampener on things, until you know precisely what visa you'll end up with, that's as cloudy as getting a job.  If you're coming out as a skilled independent (189/190), then more power to you and good luck.  If you're coming out on a sponsored visa, unless it's a 186DE, then you'll (in all likelihood) end up on a temporary visa.  And for a 186DE, you'll need more than an offer, you'll need a solid contract.  

Whilst there are pathways to permanent residence visa some temporary visas, it would not be a great idea to take these for granted.

[Quoll]

6 hours ago, Dancha85 said:

It will be NSW. Yes you would think it would be the same. 
 

At the moment, all I have is a job offer, we are discussing visas. do you know the cost for senior schools in NSW? I know they have been offered places at the school I have the job offer for but that is private so has fees. 
 

Thank you 

Ah, so you will be temporary, I can't see you getting a permanent visa for a move at the end of this year.. Public school fees around $6k each pa. The other not-so-bonus about temporary visas is that you aren't guaranteed a place in the priority enrolment area school either. You may get one but if the schools are full the Dept can offer you a place somewhere else.   If you're teaching at a private school you might want to check if they charge international fees or local fees but they'd probably offer a discount.  Be aware, too, that temporary visas are just that, there's no guarantee that they will become permanent, that a risk you take and if you want to take that risk with kids approaching GCSE then you may want to consider a back up plan.

[Dancha85]

Yes at the moment, I have been offered a permanent job, well at least that’s what the contract states. However the school don’t know much about visa sponsorship so are currently looking in to it. I have asked if they would do 186 but not sure if that fits with the timeline? The other option is 482.

Yes the private school are offering discount although it’s still a lot more than €6000, but I guess at least I’d know my children have a place close to where we will be. 
 

thank you