ellejay

Hey everyone

We have been living in Vancouver for 7 years now and we are considering moving back to the UK.
Our dilemma is the education system. We have a 16 year old in Grade 10 going into Grade 11 and a 14 year old in Grade 8 going into Grade 9 in September.

We know that other 16 year olds in the UK are sitting GCSEs now. Does anyone know how that would work/transfer with our 16 year old and transferring what she has achieved currently in Canada? She is also an International Bacculareate student. Who would I need to contact to find out how this would work and whether she could start A levels with her current education from Canada?

Any help would be appreciated.

Lisa

HKG3

Lisa,

You may wish to consider getting Canadian citizenship for the whole family before moving back to the UK.

ellejay

We are already Canadian Citizens. We have been since 2015

scot47

Transferring at that stage of secondary education would be a major upheaval. I would say - get them through secondary school where they are and then think of a move.

Munster

Keep in mind for your 16 year old that residency for 3 years is required to pay the home tuition fees and not the international fees if she chooses to go to university.

verystormy

There are plenty of schools now offering the IB and I would research ones that do in the area you are moving to. That would minimise any disruption

bob_bob

International Baccalaureate is gaining strength in the UK and is a fantastic system but...moving children of 14 and 16 to the UK would really not be right for them in my opinion.

Let them finish their education and then move.

holly_1948

Yes, agreed. And 14 and 16 are, in a sense, convenient ages.
The 14 year old would need to be placed in a grade where he or she would be expected to sit GCSEs after two full academic years. This is something to discuss with the head teacher of the school.
As to the 16 year old, I would plan on spending three years in the "sixth form" rather than the usual two years. And, if going to University, entering at age 19 instead of the usual 18. This meets the three year residency rule which has advantages beyond the considerable financial advantage.
It could be worse, for example age 15 could be a problematic.

Children are more resilient than we usually give them credit for, they grow up and meet challenges surprisingly well as long as you keep them informed and in the picture as to developments.

petitefrancaise

I moved my kids at the same ages - they are resilient, intelligent and they were absolutely willing to make it work.

All that being said, moving kids from one education system to another at these ages is not easy at all. It usually requires a HUGE amount of extra work to fill in the gaps since no education system will be identical. Getting recognition for work already done is problematic and creates stress for both parents and child. Not to mention different teaching styles and marking/exam methods.

The IB is a good choice and in the OP's position I would definitely be looking into continuing that one for the elder child.

If the elder child manages to continue IB, then taking 3 years is not really an option since it is a 2 year diploma program. Taking a year out would really depend on what they were studying - a science/engineering degree for example might be problematic as stuff gets forgotten when away for a year.

Taking them away from all their friends and expecting them to make new ones is also tricky and it's a difficult age to start again.

verystormy

As a scientist, in would disagree. There is actually very little that is used on degree level study that they would have covered in A levels other than basics such as calculus and mechanics which they won't forget. Even then, uni departments are now geared to expecting a bit of rustiness. For example, when I started my astrophysics degree at a top uni, the first term was largely a refresher of A level math and physics. When I started my geoscience degree there was an assumption of no prior knowledge, to the extent that the first chemistry lecture was about what is an atom.

petitefrancaise

wow. A "top uni" made you waste your time like that? My advice came not from personal experience but from a friend who is a pharmacist and took a year off before starting Edinburgh Uni. Getting back into it was really hard for her.

My own daughter here in the USA made damn sure that she didn't re-do any work at university - she was given full credits for exams already passed. Not just a time issue but a financial one too with each credit hour having a hefty price tag.

Sometimes people have no choice over moving kids at difficult times and it's always about mitigating downsides for them anyway. But honestly, if the OP's child has no choice to leave Canada (?) due to decisions made by her parents then it really is up to them to manage the problems caused by that decision. I personally don't think it's fair for the child to have a year's potential earnings lost because mum and dad told her she had to wait a year to go to uni to save them money.