Margaret3

We are due to move end march/beginning of april to Melbourne. My 15 year old gril is currently in 4th year at a scottish secondary school, she was due to sit 8 credit/general standard grades, but unfortunately we will be leaving before she gets a chance to sit them

Could anyone please, please tell me where she will fit in in the aus educational system, what exams will she be due to do, if any ,It is all very important to her as she takes her schooling verrrrrrrrrrry seriously, also did anyone get some kind of report from school in the uk and take to aus , if so what did it include and who did you get it from

Thanks sooooooo much folks

framac

Hi M3, get the school to do a report on each individual level of each subject. It will give her new school a base to understand what year she should go into. Although her age will play a part, you may find she could be put forward a year depending on the info given from her old school. It will save them time in trying to find her levels which could save a lot of stress. Arrange an interview with her head teacher and state clearly exactly what you want from them in writing. You'll probably find Mags they will be very accommodating. Good luck. Is your daughter coming round.

Margaret3

Hello there, yep i was going to do this, hopefully get it sorted next week.
I was searching the threads on here, and cant find any clear stuff about exams, etc and what stage she will be at, and in most threads (and i know this will be a complete shock ) , they have ended up an uk school system vs aus school system fight/debate, with time flying in now i dont care about that, i just want the facts

Kapri

I don't believe you

Margaret3

I know, people arguing on here, unbelieeeeeeeeeeevable

framac

You tell me who they are and I'll be round at their door pronto,

Margaret3

Framac, incase you were wondering, am pretty sure my daughter isn't yours

Margaret3

Just found this post, and thought it was helpful, posted it here incase anyone else needs it, also if anyone could ellaborate on it , that would be fab

It is dependent on where you are going and how your son feels. We have moved to Victoria and I would say that in your situation I would go unless your son is dead set against it. Our 16 year old has just finished his year 10 here and will start year 11 in a few weeks, the year 10 exams in Victoria aren't that important and most schools would accept your son's predicted grades as an idea of his abilities for making year 11 and 12 choices. There are no real equivalent to GCSEs here and most companies and schools are only really interested in the VCE or equivalent results which are year 11 and 12. I am happy that our son has had a chance to get the measure of the school system before starting the years that will decide his future here.
Good luck with whatever you decide, I would base my decision on whether I see my families future in Australia as if you do then the more time your son has to settle before year 11 the better.
Nicky

Margaret3

As a rough guide could people tell me is 4th year here equivalant to year 10 in aus

and 5th and 6th year equivalant to year 11 and 12.

Is there any formal exams in year 10 to lead to year 11, or is is through assessement they get to year 11, also does it take year 10 and year 11 to obtain the VCE certificate, is this a bit like a high school diploma, s

sorry for the ramblings, just trying to get it straight in my head , so i can pass on the info to teen.

cornishoz

Is there any way you can delay coming to aus until after her exams. she is more likely to settle if she feels she has completed that stage of her education in scotland. i know a family who came before their daughter sat her gcses exams & she has resented having to fit into an exam system here where there are curriculum differences & she feels she has done it all before. iits a difficult age to move too. have you asked what she would like to do .

NickyP

That would have been me I have replied to you on BritVics but PM me if you want any more info.
Nicky

Margaret3

Thanks so much nicky it has been really, really helpful, i owe you a pint

Margaret3

With all due respect cornishoz, this post has made me want to throw myself off the nearest bridge.

If you read this thread, you will understand why

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=424828

Far Fae Hame

Mags
What was the final outcome with the schooling quiz?
Where is your daughter going to fit into things?

We head to Brissy within the next 6 weeks and we are coming from Spain,our 15 year old is really looking forward to it, but coming from schooling here in Spain, I have no idea where she is going to fit in.
We asked the school for references and they said "NO". According to them that is something they cannot do. So we head into the unknown, without as much as a reference for our two!
So good luck to you, if you can give us some advice on schooling it would be much appreciated.

I guess it will just have to be a jump in and hopefully swim!!

Wendy

I didn't bring any references for my two, I just brought their school books for the year they were in and showed them to the schools. They then helped me decide which class mine should go into.