Patsy

Hi
Has anyone been in the situation where you have taken your son/daughter out of school in Uk around year 9 or 10 ( eeek dont scream at me!!!!im not sure whether i am irresponsible doing that) i know its a very important time in their lives..end of SATS, begining of GCSE's etc..my son will adapt but im worryring about his education...Will he just go into the grade he left over here..and how different is it....what qualifications will he sit? I know they are not GCSE's but imagine they are similar? Now then, what if he decides to come home in a few years time with canadian qualifications, will he have to re-sit to gain Uk recognised qualifications?

Another son is looking at Uni's in Uk for next year, studying film, tv and media......what are the chances of him being accepted in canadian uni after A level? and anyone know how to apply?

I know this is a bit boring and long winded but if anyone has any experience in any of the matters above or advice, it would be greatly appreciated....

Cheers all

Judy in Calgary

We did not move from the UK to Canada, but rather we moved from Canada to the USA to Australia and back to Canada again. Our older son was in year 9 when this series of moves started, and our younger son was in year 7.

By the way, one major move at that stage is feasible, but multiple moves in a short time make things complicated.

I imagine he will, although the local school board most likely will administer some tests to ascertain the grade that would be most suitable for him. It would be helpful if you could bring with you curriculum details that showed what material he had covered in his core subjects, e.g., maths and English. Carry the curriculum details with you. Don't send them in your shipment of goods to follow.

My understanding is that it is rather different. The education systems that we encountered in the USA and Australia were quite different from the one we had come to know in Calgary.

That depends on the province to which you move. The education system is different from one province to another and even from one city to another. The province establishes some achievement guidelines, but each school district has its own organisation. For example, the transition from middle school to high school may vary by a year or so. In Calgary, high school includes grades 10 through 12. However, in Red Deer, which is 1-1/2 hours' drive away, high school starts in grade 9.

No, I would not necessarily make that assumption. As I said before, I don't have any experience of the education system in the UK, but I found the systems to be quite different amongst Canada, the USA and Australia (and in those other countries there also are some differences from state to state). Therefore I would expect some differences between the education system in the UK and the one in your Canadian destination.

Here is the Ontario Ministry of Education's web page about secondary school. Keep in mind the information is relevant only to Ontario, but it will give you an example that is relatively representative of Canada as a whole.

I don't know which Canadian qualifications you mean. Are you referring to a Canadian high school diploma, qualifications as a skilled tradesperson, a university degree or what? While I don't know the answer to your question, I am guessing that, in many cases, your son would not need to re-sit exams.

For example, when I look up the University of Nottingham's entry requirements for international students, I see that it requires Ontario students to have at least 60% in 6 university preparation or university/college preparation courses, while Alberta students have to have at least 65% in 5 grade 12 subjects. In other words, Canadian students apparently do not have to get A levels to get into that particular British university (which I chose at random for the purposes of this exercise).

I anticipate that a Canadian university would readily accept your son if he came to Canada with A levels under his belt. To find out how to apply, just look at the web sites of a couple of Canadian universities that your son is thinking of attending. That's how we did it when we were in Australia and getting ready to return to Calgary.

Hope that helps.

Alberta_Rose

We are in just that situation I think.

Our younger son is currently in yr 9, so has not started his GCSE's, and we'd like to move this summer so he can have a year in junior high 9th grade before starting grades 10-12 High school, which I understand is a lot tougher. If he can have a yr in 9th grade he will better be able to judge what subjects to choose for Senior High.

The elder boy is taking "A" levels this summer and has applied to Calgary Uni to study Electronics Engineering ..... we are waiting, hoping, for a conditional offer for him to go there. If he doesn't get in he'll have the option of a diploma course at SAIT, which could convert to a degree later ..... or he could wait a year and then reapply to Calgary or Edmonton for the degree.

We think this is an ideal time to move, for both of them.

Crispie

Hi Patsy,
it is a worry for the children and we have taken ours to see schools to see how they may fit in. One daughter is in year 9 (like yours) and doing SATs now. She spent a day in a NS Junior High and felt so welcomed it was untrue. I think work load will actually feel soft to her in the first year (grade 9) as the pressure towards graduation mostly comes on at grades 10' 11' and 12.
I have 4 kids and my eldest is has actually got a place at Acadia University at the age of 17. It is a bit of a special case as she is going to do a music degree. The university courses require a very definate set of qualifications to get you in which is where getting your A levels accredited (translated into Canadian) will be necessary. I would tackle this by finding the course your son wants to take and then ask the university what service they have to get accreditation. After saying that it would be useful to get all the A levels accredited and there may well be a way of doing that in the UK.
My wife is having a nightmare getting her degree accredited so she can take a teaching degree. She has plenty to teach in the UK but a single hons degree is not what the NS education dept. want! It has taken months so far so be warned.
I'm afraid you have a bucket full of research to do for the Uni but I really wouldn't worry about the junior high. Every school I have seen in NS were such friendly places (kids and staff).
All the best and good luck!

seacreature

I may be wrong, but overall I'd say standards of secondary education are higher in the UK however at university level there is little difference. Therefore I'd say you'd be better off getting your kids through high school before emigrating if possible.

Alberta_Rose

When our boy applied to Calgary uni, they had a section for students coming from the UK, and their entry requirements both recognised and listed "A" levels and GCSE's, they did not need any accreditation. However, I am not certain that the Institute of Technology (SAIT) did, so you just need to check.

RodRos&Co.

Hi all

we are in the same or similar situation as u, we have 2 kids in yr 9 doing their SATs now also 1 in yr 10 half way through her GCSEs, hopefully when we come over in July we might be able to speak to the school board in NS...... but if its anythin like our local LEA haha no chance their offices shut for 6 wks through the summer

Rosie