Taking kids back to the UK - when is the best age?
 

Hi everyone,

Would appreciate any advice on the best time to take kids back to the UK re: education system? (not sure if it matters much....but we are currently in the US).

I have 2 possible options:

Option 1 - place them this year in Primary 5 and Primary 7 (i.e. aged 9 and 11 this year)

Option 2 - leave it a little longer and place them in secondary school in S1 and S3 (i.e. aged 12 and 14).

Any thoughts, advice, personal experience on the good, bad and ugly would be appreciated. :confused:
Thank you.

Re: Taking kids back to the UK - when is the best age?
 

PRIMARY FOR SURE..... I think kids are more adaptable at that age and will only have to deal with one teacher, smaller school, smaller class size..... You would have a better idea of how they were getting on from one teacher in a primary school than a form teacher at secondary school that only spends 10 minutes with them each day.....IMO???

Re: Taking kids back to the UK - when is the best age?
 

The younger the better IMHO. If you can move them at primary then that would be the best choice.

Re: Taking kids back to the UK - when is the best age?
 

this thread gave allowed me to breathe... Ive been so stressing about moving my 4 soon to be 5 yr old.... thinking that is he too young to move away from his friends and current classmates..... oh gosh I hope he will adjust to being in the UK from here in the USA.

Re: Taking kids back to the UK - when is the best age?
 

Younger.

There are a lot of posters on these forums who are now stuck :( in a country as the kids became teenage and education was not transportable.

Then, often the kids have grown up there and dont want to leave.

If your going, go when the kids will go with you, and can fit back into school.

Re: Taking kids back to the UK - when is the best age?
 

A friend from London moved out here for a year and went back with her 4 soon to be 5 year old and she has adjusted brilliantly. There are 2 intakes a year now so she waited until the January to ensure she was back and settled into London life before she began school. She looks super cute in her little school uniform in London and has a great teacher and made friends very quickly. Don't worry too much. At that age they quickly adjust. And she was in the Christmas nativity play (something you don't get here) and LOVED it. So cute.

Re: Taking kids back to the UK - when is the best age?
 

Thankyou for your post.... Ive been in touch with the school board there.... and as we are going back in June he could by rights start right then in mid term which I dont want to do to him, so I pointed out to them that he will have completed his 'reception' year equivalent here in the USA and will have finished school for the year, so he will start Year 1 there in Sep......

Re: Taking kids back to the UK - when is the best age?
 

Younger is defiantly better, they make friends easier.

Re: Taking kids back to the UK - when is the best age?
 

Yes..agree that the younger the better.

I am getting my daughter back to the UK before she is 12..to start secondary education.

:)

Re: Taking kids back to the UK - when is the best age?
 

No question of it!!! Option 1 all the way. I moved back to England with kids pretty much at your Option 2 age, it was hell!!

They carried on that much we ended up going back to Oz after 11 months!

Re: Taking kids back to the UK - when is the best age?
 

Thank you for your thought's. The reason I'm leaning toward option 2 is that I would be returning to the UK on my own with the kids. This is due to the fact my husband would still be working in the US. I was hoping that if we stayed together as a family for a few more years, he might have a better chance of a transfer in that time with his employer back to Europe. I don't know if it's better to take the kids back when they are younger without dad, or wait a few more years and hopefully go as a family.

Re: Taking kids back to the UK - when is the best age?
 

At the ages of 12 and 14 they will have missed so much work towards their exams, esp the 14 year old. My 14 year old son is doing his GCSE work now. To bring them back at that age would disrupt their education, chances of good grades etc..
Not sure what the cirriculum is like in the US, but i found the difference in education in OZ compared to the UK was massive.

Re: Taking kids back to the UK - when is the best age?
 

OOOOOhhh that makes it a bit more difficult to decide then..

Tough one...

Hope it all works out OK.

Re: Taking kids back to the UK - when is the best age?
 

We came back to the Uk from Canada in June with a 5 and nearly 4 year old. Both adjusted even quicker than we did. Friends at that age aren't the big deal that they are at an older age, so no need to stress.

Re: Taking kids back to the UK - when is the best age?
 

How big a difference did you find between the two systems Nu-Shooz in comparison?