uk+kiwi

Having a UK property in advance will sadly not help you in the slightest.

However your daughter could be deemed a resident in her own rights after the age of 16 so if you include a GAP year, I think she will satisfy this criteria.

The other thing worth considering now though is any academic shortfall that could exist before your daughter starts her A level course. I may be mentioning something that you have no concerns over as your daughter is probably a straight A student if she is considering medicine, but I have read a lot about an academic shortfall GAP between the UK & Aus systems. So it could be worth checking that your daughter has the groundwork covered so that she doesn't struggle at the beginning of the A levels, especially since you will be overseas (ie buy some papers for the 16+ exams). It is very competitive to gain entry onto a medicine degree, especially at the top schools where the entry requirements are usually 3 A's for sciences, as I'm sure you are aware. Good luck.

miss piggy

You are absolutely right - we think that there is a major shortfall academically between the 2 countries, which is the reason that the UK universities look askance at Australian applicants for the more rigorous courses (or those with an 'assumed knowledge' element). This is one of the main reasons why she will be going back to the UK for A levels. As you say,she is an A stream candidate here but who is to say where she would rank in the UK.....
I didn't know that the child's residency alone could count as being 'ordinarily resident' - I thought that I had read on one of the many Department of Education websites that it was the residency of the main family breadwinner that was taken into account ?

uk+kiwi

Sorry that I can't recall where I read about the residency aspect, but it would make sense to me since effectively at 16 she is returning as a resident in her own right. I would make sure she has an NI number and any other things like that (registered with doctor/dentist asap) which make her look independent from a residency point of view. In fact she probably has to declare this upon her return, have a look at the Inland Revenue site under a heading such as 'returning residents' or similar.

Also, re: the shortfall, it may be worth considering private tutoring or doing UK papers for the 16+ exams before she starts the A level courses. I say this since I have read about many children on expat forums (plus know of 2 examples personally) of kids who were very average in the UK (ie would never get the grades for med school) who are now on Australia's gifted and talented register. Strange really, but worth looking into options now to ensure prevention of a disappointed teenager.

jockomalay

I think a lot of people don't realise the situation until faced with it themselves, we could try and set up a campaign but we would need someone to champion the cause back in the UK. You should have seen some of the snide remarks that came in to the paper's website regarding this.

jockomalay

This is an extract from the
1999 No. 1131 (S. 91) EDUCATION, SCOTLAND

The Students' Allowances (Scotland) Regulations 1999

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1999/19991131.htm

It is a bit wordy as all Govt docs are, but we are trying to use this as ruling that my son is indeed an Ordinary resident. See definition below.

<<material is Crown copyrighted>>

miss piggy

I tried to find the responses to this article but couldn't - it would be interesting to read the non-expat view.

I'll put my thinking hat on to see if I can come up with any good thoughts about campaigning ! Anyone else got any thoughts ?

miss piggy

Jockomalay,

Looks like you might be on to a runner here - but then the law can be an ass (or quite possibly the problem may be that it is interpreted by asses in this case !)

Would be really, REALLY interested in the response you get to your appeal - do keep us posted. Have they given you any indication on how soon it might be decided ?

On a complete aside - my son is currently on an exchange term in your native land (well - almost - Edinburgh) & he says it is a GREAT place (so you never know , we may be looking at uni there !)

Bob

that's true, a few years ago when I was doing uni, a bunch of mates wanted to do medicine, one had 6 A A-levels and didn't get in anywhere, though he's now a phd at Oxford doing research, and a couple other friends who also had 4 A's but didn't get offered anything decent...it's pretty tough to get anywhere good out there...more than just good grades to get in

Crispyuk88

Whats LEA mate?

Bob

local education authority...where ever you live, local county will have one, and it'll be them that pick up the rest of the tab for uni after you pay the first £1-3K each year depending on where you go...without the LEA, you'll have to pay full whack, which is a lot.

shauninoz

I think it is absolutely outrageous that UK citizens have to pay overseas fees just because they may choose to live in another country for a few years before they go to Uni. How can the govt possibly justify this? I'll be writing to the UK education secretary on Monday....

Has anyone got a link to that Aberdeen Press story that has been mentioned?

miss piggy

Try pM-ing Jockomalay - he may be able to put you onto it.

I absolutely agree it is outrageous - & that as many of as as possible should write to the Education Sec. etc about it - but I fear our numbers are small & our votes relatively insignificant in numerical terms. Maybe we would do well to try & find a champion amongst The Opposition somewhere , my gut tells me that it might not fall onsuch deaf ears there ?

I've just worked out that my daughter's projected 6 year course is likely to cost me around the 100K figure - & that is just for FEES - never mind normal living expenses/rent etc etc....

ladyofthelake

Er, it's about residency, not Citizenship. You choose to go and live somewhere else, you're no longer a resident. Why would you expect to only pay resident fees when you haven't been resident?

The Government presumably justify it because if residents fees were available to all the day they arrive, there would be a huge influx of students from all over the world ready to come over and take advantage of tax payers money to pay for their tuition.

Bob

You've also got to consider that there are a large number of UK citizens that have never set foot in the UK, so would hardly be fair for them to come over for free education just because there parents were citizens and that is how they got it, and never paid taxes...the whole residency is pretty fair, though perhaps 2 years would be better than 3...

dingbat

I understand that a residency requirement does deter education tourism; however, if you paid taxes in the UK for X many years, as I did, I feel aggrieved that I have to pay fees for my kids when it wasn't my choice to get stuck overseas in the first place!