ramram49

Hi - we might be relocating back to UK in March 2021. Our teenage daughter will be 16 in April 2021 and is currently in Grade 10 high school in Canada. Can anyone advise on if she will need to go straight into sixth form in September 2021 and if so what would that be like? No idea if the sixth form A level is equivalent to IB in Canada (she's taking 2 IB courses in grade 10). Thanks

christmasoompa

If she’ll be 16 in April then she’d be in Year 11, so if you move in March she’d go in to the final year of GCSE’s (exams starting in June).

She’d then start A Levels (or apprenticeship/BTEC/etc) in Sept 2021. Can’t say how that would compare to Canadian education though I’m afraid.

Could she finish the school year in Canada maybe rather than having to do GCSE’s only a couple of months after you arrive? Depending on the subjects she wants to do at A Level she may need 6’s and above in those GCSE’s which could be a tough ask if she’s not done the course. May be worth asking schools if they would take her Canadian schooling in to account rather than just relying on GCSE grades if you do move in March.

HTH.

ramram49

Yes we would plan on letting her finish Grade 10 here and then move to start back in the UK in September 2021

Shezi59

Whilst she'll be the right age for 6th form in September 2021, the real question is will her IB studies enable her to switch to studies in a UK school/college. Before anyone could answer that, you'll need some clear ideas about subjects and levels of study so that her eligibility can be assessed. If you have any idea at all of the area you're looking at moving to, it might be an idea to reach out to the local education department for some guidance. It's usually up to individual schools to determine whether or not a student is fit for a programme of study (there's often some flexibility) but I would definitely research that while there's some time. If she's looking at A levels and university it'll most likely be a question of credits and their transferability. I would talk to someone on the ground in the UK to see what her options are.

As christmasoompa said, 6th form colleges offer a range of courses.

ramram49

Thanks location wise would be near lowestoft but I can commute from either Norfolk or Suffolk (estimate 40 mile radius)

scot47

The 4 jurisdictions within the UK have differing education systems. "The UK" is not "England" !

ramram49

Astonishing insight but as we are peregrinating to England, I've no interest in the other Countries

durham_lad

yeah, most of us figured that out

brits1

Hi, Your daughter could start in September at an adult 6th form college....there are tons of choices in courses for careers to pathways to university, our son left Australia with no formal qualifications although he had entered year 12 in the Feb and was studying 5 TEE's he wanted to start college that year in the UK so we brought over all his year 11 work and testing certificates and was advised by the 3 UK colleges he had chosen that he could study anything from apprenticeships, diploma's to A levels, he needed to study GCSE English and Math which did not take him long (he was adviced of this as he had decided by then to go to university and it was best to have these for that reason) he went on to study an advanced deploma for two years at college then went onto university and is now a qualified teacher, the whole process was much less stressful than we had ever thought, we found the college's here in England to be very flexible and very understanding of students with an overseas background. Good luck with your decision.

ramram49

Thanks brits1, good to know. The advice I have been given so far seems to indicate that our 15-year old (would be 16 on return) would have to do 2 years of GCSEs as she would only have grade 10 here in Canada (although she is doing 2 IB classes as part of G10). It sounds like that G11 here in Alberta is the same levels as GCSE finals...so one might assume that G10 is same as GCSE year 1 but that hasn't been confirmed...

brits1

Check with naric for your daughter's Canadian certificates they will be able to let you know the UK equivalent. Your daughter could study for her GCSEs (if she does need them) whilst at college (our youngest did) studying for his diploma's.

Shezi59

I taught at a UK high school with a 6th form, students who didn't make the grade for 'A' Level were often allowed to study a couple GCSEs alongside A level studies. That's why I said earlier that schools and colleges have a fair bit of discretion and so it's worth speaking to them directly. Of course we would have probably been a little more flexible with our own students but we did still take students from other schools occasionally. It's not a 'cut and dried' situation, much will depend on evaluation and assessment of students' prior studies and achievements.