yorkshire_lass

What sort of experiences do people have of how the kids pick up with a UK education after being in a different education system for a few years? Particularly older children. My daughter will be 16 when (and if) we go back, she obviously won't have any GCSE's and won't have finished her American high school diploma either. She could attend an American school in the US to finish high school and then apply to British Universities, but maybe she might be accepted onto some A level courses?

I have been trying to find out about funding for UK citizens returning from overseas, and it seems that she might be eligible to apply for student loans and tuition support once we have been back in the county for 3 years.....

The whole decision of moving is difficult enough, but trying to also wade through the pros and cons when it comes to the children's future is an added stress.

Anyone got any insight?

eurotramp

It is a real nightmare.
My daughter(10) is British and always went to British schools in Holland and Belgium with hubby been in the army.
We are moving to the UK in May and she needs a secondary school after the summer holidays and I can not get her into any school until we have a address in the UK, but the schools are already oversubscribed now...there is no help what so ever for us to come back...even with hubby serving 12 years the UK army
Dont expect any help what so ever..you even will have to pay for Uni if you been outside the country and that will cost you

yorkshire_lass

Thanks for your reply, it says on the UCAS web site that a returning UK citizen is eligible for funding for uni and for student loans when they have been back in the UK for three years.
so that shouldn't be too much of a problem - we will be back for 2 years before she goes to uni and she can take a gap year.
I wouldn't worry too much about getting your daughter into a school. Once you arrive and have an address put her name down with the local schools and I am pretty sure you will get a place soon, even over subscribed schools will often give a child a place if that is their nearest school. A lot of them say they have long wait lists, but the wait lists are full of people who want their kids to go to that school but that have other schools closer by, so you would be placed ahead of them on the list.
Good luck!

callé

Hi!
We just returned with a fifteen and sixteen year old. they had only ever been to school in the US. My fifteen year old son is now in year ten here. he could age wise have been put into year eleven but he wouldnt have the time to catch up on coursework. He has fit right in and even been moved up to higher classes. He is taking an itc(I think thats it) course which will really catch him up. Even though he was put "back' into year 10 he will be able to take GCSE exams next May (2007) and finish school. In the US he would be in 10th grade and still have next year and the next to finish. so he is quite happy.
My sixteen year old daughter has had a harder time as she was already 16 and technically couldnt be put into regular classes. The six form here has agreed to test her to see if she can go straight into A levels, but as we havent been 3 years resident we would have to pay for courses. We finally found a university in Pennsylvania that does online and through the post courses for overseas students. It will still cost us about 800. US dollars but she stays home and does loads of essays and course work and posts it to them and some work online. They provide posting envelopes. She is motivated so I have no problem with her doing the work. She will get full accreditation. next year she can do the same thing and get afull diploma that is acknowledged anywhere. of course like I say she could get into six form here, but after looking it all over, this is what she decided best for her. I am just happy that there is something she can do to finish school so she can go on to further education afterwards.
Good luck. 'Connextions for teens' is a great help here to help you sort it out.
free of charge they will help you to find the best solution.