david love

what if any is the differnce for school children between uk and canada i.e. uk kids start at an early age here but finish at 16yrs of age where as they finish at 18yrs of age in canada when we move would the kids be in class,s of there own ability

proo

I thought the Canadian system was pretty similar to the UK (from what I've read and heard from the embassy). I think the age difference you're referring is the age you can leave school. You can stop at GCSE level (16) in the UK whereas in Canada perhaps they have to continue to the equivalent of A-level (18) so they're prepared for uni???

Alberta_Rose

They tend to start a year later, so my lad who is in year 9 in UK will be in 9th grade when he starts in Canada in the fall! (see how trans-Atlantic I'm getting? :P ) Senior High school is grades 10-12.

Not sure when they can legally quit school, but I think they have to "graduate" from High School to continue to post-secondary education (ie college or uni). A proportion do not graduate from High School I believe.

dingbat

It's nothing like the UK system. Grade 12 is just a scratch above GSCE O level standard but in no way reflects the depth of subject matter students have to study in the UK. Grade 12 is very easy to get - pulse, one working brain cell, it's yours. A levels are Year 1 and 2 of a degree - approximately. Been through the Grades with my kids and have experience of the degree equivalency nonsense (in the Arts). Your kids will likely be bumped up a Grade as they otherwise be bored to death.

Calgal

They start 'real' school at age six (grade one), and finish at age 18 (Grade twelve) They can start 'pre-school' at five years of age, but this is optional and depending on province, may be at parents expense. Any earlier, again is private play schools/kindergarten etc.

Students can legally quit school at sixteen, but without that high school diploma, the future would not be very rosy! My two boys will be graduating this month, so it's a learning experience for us. The cost is alarming, though - photos (through school) have cost a few hundred dollars :scared: Tickets to the banquet (optional, but how can you not really attend that as proud parents?) for the family, another $300!!! Still have to pay for their cap and gown rental, too! (then of course, we all need something 'formal' to wear, too!)

Our kids were young enough to start in the system at grade one, so that was fortunate! I have witnessed other people moving here who's children were assessed and placed accordingly, though I don't know if this is standard practice or not

Calgal

Hmmm that's interesting! Witnessing what my boys have been covering, especially in math and the sciences, they are way ahead of anything in the UK 'high school' equivalent. They are doing Pure and applied math 30, and such (not all kids do, though). Or maybe like most things, the education system is very different across provinces?

ginaf

When you say six is it like in the U.K where we say five but in fact they start at four, my boy started in September (boo hoo!) and has only just turned five but there are kids in his class who don't turn 5 until august by which time they will have done a full school year?

jon254

In Essex, Ontario JK (junior Kindergarden) which is part time starts in the year of the childs 4th birthday (thats the calender year, not the academic years) so a three year old, who is four on Dec 31st would begin school in the september prior to her 4th birthday.

Would be interested if this follows the same lines as other provinces?

So essentially dependent upon birthday you could finish grade 12 at 17 if your birthday falls in the second half of the year.

Just another bit to baffle the brains.

Nope Canadas education system is very different to the UK's!!

Jon

dbd33

A couple of my children took the Bac in Canada. This is just the same as the Bac in the UK, where I thought it had replaced A levels. They also took the SAT, the American end of high school test, that's commonly taken here as so many students go to US universities.

dingbat

From talking to friends across the country, I think standards do differ greatly across the provinces. My eldest will graduate before she turns 17 and has "coasted" the whole time she has been here, getting A's with ease. The interesting thing is, that the medical school she wants to go to in Ontario (Queens) have asked her to add some 100 level courses to her grad portfolio (1st year Uni level) so that her Grade 12 is equivalent to that expected by Ontario applicants. She has time to do this, of course, and take a year off (like a gap year) due to her age. Not much point in going to med school if you can't relax in a bar with your student buddies because you are too young!

hot wasabi peas

I agree. My primary and secondary education took place in BC, Yukon, Alberta and Ontario (most of the time in BC/Yukon). Even as a kid I could see a huge differences between the provinces. Personally, I was glad to have spent most of my education time in BC because it was so easy! Back then, you could 'challenge courses' ie just do a big exam on the topic and receive credit. I did that a lot and only had to actually be at school 65% of the time in my last two years. This meant I could spend more time doing far more interesting things. I'm not sure if the school board still allows that though and I feel bad for kids that have to be in high school full-time though from what I've heard the curriculum has actually improved!

Are you sure the addition of the 1st year courses are for the reason you give? Most med schools require the completion of a variety of first year courses; even UBC. That said, I wouldn't be surprised by your explanation!

Grah

David, going on this simple theory
School system in UK
Childs age at next birthday which falls between Sept 1st and August 31st subtract 5 and that's the year they are in. Struggle or excel you're in that age group until you pass thru the system.

Canada experience in manitoba
child's age at next birthday which falls between Jan 1st and Dec 31st subtract 6 and that's the year you in. UNLESS you struggle or excel. Some schools offer classes that have mixed aged, ( 2 years in 1 class) others there is the odd child up or down a year.

Personnel experience
Son 18 in August this year Just finished University 1 at U of Winnipeg
Daughter 17 in October in grade 11 ( right for age here)
Daughter 13 in August in Grade 8 going to 9 in the fall ( year up for age)
Daughter 11 in July in grade 6 ( right for age here)

Last daughter started school in the UK at 4 but couldn't got to school here until 5 kindergarten was more like play school and boy was she unhappy about not being allowed to start school, otherwise she would also be a year up.

Reason for the kids advance was based on number of years in UK school, and if they couldn't stick with the work they could always drop back into their age group.

I have friends who's son's birthday is dec 31st he is small for his age and mentally finds the concepts hard to grasp, so his mum and the school agreed to hold him back a year he is having a far better year educationally and friendship wise.


There is very many different systems and methods across Canada and the kids can be challenge or left to cruise it basically seems to boil down to the child and the parents to push for the real had stuff which the teachers are normally happy to supply once you ask.

Current high school the kids go to has 3 different teaching methods
1 - Social - lots of group work and discussions on current events
2 - focused - Child is heavily into a subject science, it or Music then they can study that interest and the get them to achieve above average in all curicculm tests.
3 Standard - Ordinary pick you subjects go to class do work.

Finally theres another program called "Technicall vocation" which is for Trades where the kids are actually following an apprenticeship style course doing Car mechanic Aircraft technician etc instead of following th normally Academic driven lessons.


So you need to focus on where you are planning to go in Canada to get specific answers as what my experiences are will be usless to you if your going BC/Alberta for example.

All the best

Linda P

My son is in grade 1 (born dec 98) he only started after the Easter holidays and already we can see he is not upto the standard here. The work his classmates have produced is far beyond anything he is use to back in the UK.
We have spoken to his teacher and he will be staying in grade 1 when they come back in September. she has told us this would not have been the case had he started back last September and had a full year with her! With him being a December baby he is one of the youngest in the class anyway. It has really made me question what they were doing with him in the UK?

crazydaisy

Hi Grah - I have been collecting ads. from technical and vocational colleges around Winnipeg. My son has ADD and may not find University lectures easy to focus on and may rather go down the vocational route ie. in deisgn or technology. I was wondering if you knew at what age they could start vocational training - is it at 16? I tried searching various local governement websites and came away none the wiser!!

Many thanks, daisy

nivlass

I'm getting more and more worried about my girls and getting them into the right school when we arrive. My oldest daughter is 6 and is in Year 1 here. Her birthday is in January. I have been told that she would enter Grade 1 over there in September. I certainly don't want her put back a year. I'm worried about the upheaval for her as it is.

My youngest is 3 so I don't need to worry about her just yet.

All this talk and just finding a good school to begin with is daunting enough never mind what grade they go into or which system is doing the better teaching.