Secondary school advice after returning to the UK
Mar 6th 2017, 1:08 pm
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 8
Secondary school advice after returning to the UK
Hi, we are a family of four with two sons aged 12 and 14 and potentially moving to the US this summer 
on a 2-year work assignment (husband).
We are looking for advice predominantly around children education from people that have been through the same.
We obviously want to minimize disruption from an educational perspective at this delicate age.
My oldest son will spend Year 10 and Year 11 in the US and then returning to a UK school for Year 12. One option we have been looking at was to enrol him in a school offering IGCSE so that he could come back to the UK after 2 years and continue with A Levels, College, etc.
We have found some international schools in the area we are moving to offering IGCSE, so perhaps an option (?)
My youngest will spend Year 8 and Year 9 in the US and then returning to a UK school for Year 10, hence starting his GCSE on his return.
We are in the process of speaking with the current UK school to find out more about the re-entry steps, exams (for my oldest son if needed), etc.
We also understand that there may not be availability at that same school when we come back.
Has anyone been through a similar situation in these age bands?
Any feedback welcome, thanks a lot in advance.
on a 2-year work assignment (husband).We are looking for advice predominantly around children education from people that have been through the same.
We obviously want to minimize disruption from an educational perspective at this delicate age.
My oldest son will spend Year 10 and Year 11 in the US and then returning to a UK school for Year 12. One option we have been looking at was to enrol him in a school offering IGCSE so that he could come back to the UK after 2 years and continue with A Levels, College, etc.
We have found some international schools in the area we are moving to offering IGCSE, so perhaps an option (?)
My youngest will spend Year 8 and Year 9 in the US and then returning to a UK school for Year 10, hence starting his GCSE on his return.
We are in the process of speaking with the current UK school to find out more about the re-entry steps, exams (for my oldest son if needed), etc.
We also understand that there may not be availability at that same school when we come back.
Has anyone been through a similar situation in these age bands?
Any feedback welcome, thanks a lot in advance.
Mar 7th 2017, 3:14 am
#2
Austin. TX.
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 5,930
Re: Secondary school advice after returning to the UK
Hi, we are a family of four with two sons aged 12 and 14 and potentially moving to the US this summer on a 2-year work assignment (husband).
We are looking for advice predominantly around children education from people that have been through the same.
We obviously want to minimize disruption from an educational perspective at this delicate age.
My oldest son will spend Year 10 and Year 11 in the US and then returning to a UK school for Year 12. One option we have been looking at was to enrol him in a school offering IGCSE so that he could come back to the UK after 2 years and continue with A Levels, College, etc.
We have found some international schools in the area we are moving to offering IGCSE, so perhaps an option (?)
My youngest will spend Year 8 and Year 9 in the US and then returning to a UK school for Year 10, hence starting his GCSE on his return.
We are in the process of speaking with the current UK school to find out more about the re-entry steps, exams (for my oldest son if needed), etc.
We also understand that there may not be availability at that same school when we come back.
Has anyone been through a similar situation in these age bands?
Any feedback welcome, thanks a lot in advance.
on a 2-year work assignment (husband).We are looking for advice predominantly around children education from people that have been through the same.
We obviously want to minimize disruption from an educational perspective at this delicate age.
My oldest son will spend Year 10 and Year 11 in the US and then returning to a UK school for Year 12. One option we have been looking at was to enrol him in a school offering IGCSE so that he could come back to the UK after 2 years and continue with A Levels, College, etc.
We have found some international schools in the area we are moving to offering IGCSE, so perhaps an option (?)
My youngest will spend Year 8 and Year 9 in the US and then returning to a UK school for Year 10, hence starting his GCSE on his return.
We are in the process of speaking with the current UK school to find out more about the re-entry steps, exams (for my oldest son if needed), etc.
We also understand that there may not be availability at that same school when we come back.
Has anyone been through a similar situation in these age bands?
Any feedback welcome, thanks a lot in advance.
and somebody was asking about this fairly recently too.
Personally, I wouldn't bring a kid to the USA temporarily at the older kid's age. I brought my daughter for grade 11 but we were here to stay.
Mar 7th 2017, 6:13 am
#3
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 8
Re: Secondary school advice after returning to the UK
Thank you for your feedback.
And yes I will move the post.
And yes I will move the post.
Mar 7th 2017, 8:47 am
#4
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 583
Re: Secondary school advice after returning to the UK
Hi,
We returned to the UK in 2015 after spending 2 years in the U.S.
Our daughter was 12 at the time of the move and had almost completed Year 7 in her UK secondary school. She missed Year 8 and most of Year 9, starting back at UK secondary at the tail end of Year 9 (around 6 weeks before the summer holidays). We did have the option to remain in the US for a further 2 years, but felt that for our daughter it would be harder to slot back into the UK system at 16.
We were not able to secure a place at her original school, but did get a place at another outstanding school within our borough. We live in one of the most diverse boroughs in NW London and the vast majority of secondary schools in our borough are used to student mobility both from within and outside of the UK and have the processes and pastoral care in place to support these students. Her new school were excellent and as a result our daughter settled in immediately and made a number of lovely friends.
She was able to choose her GCSE's and start the 2 year syllabus at the same time as everyone else. The only restriction she had was for a MFL as she hadn't continued to study either French or Spanish in the U.S. This was not an issue as she had no intention of taking these subjects at GCSE, preferring Latin instead.
She's due to sit her GCSE's this summer and is predicted to pass them all with A & B grades. I would say, that academically she's a solid B student. She'll never come skipping home from school ready the crack open the textbooks and get learning; too many other distractions
I can honestly say that she has not had to work any harder than her peers to get to the level that she is at now due to her time spent in the US.
She's applied for the 6th form at her school and I cannot see that there will be any problems based on her predicted grades for her chosen A level subjects.
Based on her (UK) SATS at the end of Year 6 and her end of year report from Year 7, her school have said that she has made the expected amount of progress in some of her subjects (typically the ones she loathes) and is ahead in others. Therefore, it does not appear that she had suffered academically in any way due to the move.
Feel free to ask me for any other information.
We returned to the UK in 2015 after spending 2 years in the U.S.
Our daughter was 12 at the time of the move and had almost completed Year 7 in her UK secondary school. She missed Year 8 and most of Year 9, starting back at UK secondary at the tail end of Year 9 (around 6 weeks before the summer holidays). We did have the option to remain in the US for a further 2 years, but felt that for our daughter it would be harder to slot back into the UK system at 16.
We were not able to secure a place at her original school, but did get a place at another outstanding school within our borough. We live in one of the most diverse boroughs in NW London and the vast majority of secondary schools in our borough are used to student mobility both from within and outside of the UK and have the processes and pastoral care in place to support these students. Her new school were excellent and as a result our daughter settled in immediately and made a number of lovely friends.
She was able to choose her GCSE's and start the 2 year syllabus at the same time as everyone else. The only restriction she had was for a MFL as she hadn't continued to study either French or Spanish in the U.S. This was not an issue as she had no intention of taking these subjects at GCSE, preferring Latin instead.
She's due to sit her GCSE's this summer and is predicted to pass them all with A & B grades. I would say, that academically she's a solid B student. She'll never come skipping home from school ready the crack open the textbooks and get learning; too many other distractions
I can honestly say that she has not had to work any harder than her peers to get to the level that she is at now due to her time spent in the US. She's applied for the 6th form at her school and I cannot see that there will be any problems based on her predicted grades for her chosen A level subjects.
Based on her (UK) SATS at the end of Year 6 and her end of year report from Year 7, her school have said that she has made the expected amount of progress in some of her subjects (typically the ones she loathes) and is ahead in others. Therefore, it does not appear that she had suffered academically in any way due to the move.
Feel free to ask me for any other information.
Mar 14th 2017, 8:17 pm
#5
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 8
Re: Secondary school advice after returning to the UK
Hi and thank you for sharing your experience. Sounds like our youngest will be in the exact same situation as your daughter... And (at least for you) it went exactly the same as what we are hoping for.
Our only concern at present is our 14 years old and how to best handle his 2 education years whilst abroad. We are looking at International Baccalaureate MYP courses at High Schools, but there aren't many options in the area.
Thanks again. we may come back with more questions :-)
Our only concern at present is our 14 years old and how to best handle his 2 education years whilst abroad. We are looking at International Baccalaureate MYP courses at High Schools, but there aren't many options in the area.
Thanks again. we may come back with more questions :-)
Mar 15th 2017, 1:17 pm
#6
Just Joined
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 19
Re: Secondary school advice after returning to the UK
Hi, we are a family of four with two sons aged 12 and 14 and potentially moving to the US this summer on a 2-year work assignment (husband).
We are looking for advice predominantly around children education from people that have been through the same.
We obviously want to minimize disruption from an educational perspective at this delicate age.
My oldest son will spend Year 10 and Year 11 in the US and then returning to a UK school for Year 12. One option we have been looking at was to enrol him in a school offering IGCSE so that he could come back to the UK after 2 years and continue with A Levels, College, etc.
We have found some international schools in the area we are moving to offering IGCSE, so perhaps an option (?)
My youngest will spend Year 8 and Year 9 in the US and then returning to a UK school for Year 10, hence starting his GCSE on his return.
We are in the process of speaking with the current UK school to find out more about the re-entry steps, exams (for my oldest son if needed), etc.
We also understand that there may not be availability at that same school when we come back.
Has anyone been through a similar situation in these age bands?
Any feedback welcome, thanks a lot in advance.
on a 2-year work assignment (husband).We are looking for advice predominantly around children education from people that have been through the same.
We obviously want to minimize disruption from an educational perspective at this delicate age.
My oldest son will spend Year 10 and Year 11 in the US and then returning to a UK school for Year 12. One option we have been looking at was to enrol him in a school offering IGCSE so that he could come back to the UK after 2 years and continue with A Levels, College, etc.
We have found some international schools in the area we are moving to offering IGCSE, so perhaps an option (?)
My youngest will spend Year 8 and Year 9 in the US and then returning to a UK school for Year 10, hence starting his GCSE on his return.
We are in the process of speaking with the current UK school to find out more about the re-entry steps, exams (for my oldest son if needed), etc.
We also understand that there may not be availability at that same school when we come back.
Has anyone been through a similar situation in these age bands?
Any feedback welcome, thanks a lot in advance.
Hi we are in fairly similar situation with a 13 year old settling into school in Boston. I have two older children who returned from Philly after 4 years in the US system and rejoining uk - they were Fine in most subjects ahead in many but covered different curricula. I have chosen British international school in Jamaica plains as first choice but will review when I arrive. There's also a French international school - slightly less expensive that I'm going to look at.
have you decided where to live? Where are you in U.K. ?
