dpickles

We are applying for permanant residency in Canada. My 13 year old son now has to choose his exam subjects (electives) in the UK. He wants to study history but in the UK this is based mainly on the British Empire, if we get accepted into Canada I want to be sure that he can continue his education with minimum disruption. Does anyone have any thoughts or websites that might help.

Thanks

dingbat

Use the search function on this site and you will get a pile of info about BC and the education system. "Minimum disruption" erm...forget it. It's a different system, you are comparing apples and oranges in terms of teaching models. Your son will not get to study history in the way that he does in the UK. Pure sciences in general are often better taught; arts (including history) are rolled into other subjects up to Grade 10 and are not very well or accurately taught, even up to Grade 12 (in my and my childrens' direct and recent experiences). Standards also vary by school district: I have had experience of three - Coquitlam (worst), Maple Ridge and Chilliwack (dreadful). I gave up and went semi-private.

hot wasabi peas

I agree with that although I've heard it's better now than from when I was a kid - believe it or not. I remember being taught Columbus discovered America - and this lesson was taught not that long ago. Pathetic. I've a friend whose goal in life is to help improve the teaching of history in Canada's - well, make that BC's - schools.

Glaswegian

The WISC-III test given to kids to assess ability still asks that question - I'm not a psychologist, so I don't know what the correct answer is meant to be, but I bet it isn't Leif Ericson .....

gooding

Depending on when you are accepted what your son does at 13 is not what he will be doing at 15.

My daughter changed like the wind by the time she got to GCSE. She is doing these this year.
We visited what we hope to be her school in BC.
A bit like the UK there are certain subjects that they have to study. One thing he did point out is that they were expected to know about Canadian Government laws history etc, which he felt some can be the similar to Uk we do not learn much if anything about Canada. Apart from it is full of trees and eskimos!! and mountie, and is under 6 feet of snow for most of the year, I believed that until I was 40!!

They also tended to concentrate more on American History, with some of the British thrown in, But not as they do in the UK. As the USA seems to make up things as they go along what you believe is open to discussion.
Forget totally the Uk school system, GCSE's etc it goes out the window.

if you visit try and go along to as school (in their term time) the school was very welcoming and informative.
Look up schools websites and many post curriculms on their sites.

hot wasabi peas

Not bad for a kid

ClareBC

Hello - don't forget to join the Brits2Vancouver yahoo group. There are some strongly held opinions about schooling with that bunch!!

Also it might be worth checking out a site called http://www.brits2bc.com and there is some info about schooling there (they have 4 teenagers)

You might also like to look at this PDF abotu choosing a school in BC

http://www.gov.bc.ca/bcgov/content/d...a_school_2.pdf

And, if yiou are moving to Vancouver city there is this map of the school boundaries (and likewise all the districts/cities have excellent school info)

http://www.vsb.bc.ca/NR/rdonlyres/2C...3/0/Vsbmap.pdf

Good luck

Clare