USAGypsies

Okay, so we had a plan for our son to go live with my Sister and her man so that he could do his GCSE's. Now that plan has fallen apart.
We have no other family or friends that he could stay with. We will not be ready to return to the UK for at least another year (is our guess), but this time is crucial in my eye's for him to get back ahead of us and get those GCSE's under his belt.

We're not well off enough to put him into a private school and Im pretty sure there is no such thing as a free boarding school!! I can't think of any other way around this. Any ideas?

Mummy in the foothills

Could he start the GCSE's a year late and go back with you when you are ready to go?
He'd be a year behind but it's better than not at all.

mary1967

I think that's a good idea. Email the school you're thinking of sending him to and ask.

I've been told by my 16 year old's school that they'll let her start their 6th form college in January (she'll have missed 4 months), on the understanding that if she can't catch up, she'll have to start the 2 year course from scratch in September 09 - which proves there is some flexibility. Good luck!

USAGypsies

Thanks to both of you. My son would have been going back in January to start his first year of GCSE's late and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to catch up so I'm glad to hear that the school you spoke to was flexible - that's very hopeful.

If there absolutely is no other way, then yes we will have to try to get him into 6th form on return. By then, he will be 17 though and I'm not sure if he will 'age out' of 6th form... anyone know?

I also know that he could take his GCSE's in college but I'm confused about costs/fees. I know that if a child has been absent from the UK for 3 years prior to starting University they must pay international student fee's, however does the same apply for taking GCSE's at college?

mary1967

No idea what happens after being out of the UK for 3 years. You're probably best ringing the local education department that the school falls under and then once you know what you can and can't do, send the school an email or give them a ring.

Celtic Princess

I have 2 things to say. First off, and probably most important to you, if you son goes to college to do his GCSEs then he should be classed as a home student and it will therefore be free. I looked it up for you on my university's website. They do both higher (uni level) and further (college level) courses. The information on the page I linked is for further level courses only. They are different for higher level.

http://www.tvu.ac.uk/international/n...verseas_fe.jsp

It looks like the answer is no to begin with but when you get down to the bottom of the list of those classed as home students it says "16-18 years old, with full British Citizenship or you have the Right of Abode in the UK (and you are in the UK without your parents)".

Secondly, there are free boarding schools in the UK, although places are few and far between. They are called Blue Coat schools. Here's the one in West Sussex where my sister went.

http://www.christs-hospital.org.uk/n...hool-intro.php

deborahjane

To USA Gypsies

We are returning to the UK on 7th January after being in Perth for 5 years.

My Daughter will be 17 this month and has took her TEE exams here and will receive her results this month.


We have contacted Naric in the Uk who translate exams received abroad and equal them to UK exam results. They said her TEE'S will be equivalent to A Levels. Hopefully will get good grades and then she can skip A levels.

She will be too late to do any type of full time course in January so will have to do part time or work until September.

In September she has two options. She could go back to college which is free for under 19's even for people who have been out of the country for years or apply to University. We have heard that University fees will be 3 times higher for her as she has lived out of the UK for over 3 years. She may end up at college for a couple of years before applying for university.

Other daughter will be going in to her first GCSE year (although they will have started already in September) so will be a bit behind.

So as far as I have found out colleges are free under 19 but it looks certain that University will charge higher fees.

miss piggy

Can't comment on the US system but my daughter moved to the UK in September to start her A levels (she was half way through Year 11 here in NSW so effectively went 'back' half a year). She is at a selective academic girls school where she is doing really well, so my fears re Aussie education were slightly ill founded though I think that extra half year here has made it easier academically for her - better to go back a bit than jump ahead.

We've been in touch with UK unis & not having GCSE's doesn't seem to be a problem at all ( & she's thinking of studying Vet Med which is so fiercely difficult to get into that I would have thought they would be fussier than many courses).

So- I wouldn't worry too much if things don't work out in time for GCSE's- speak to the unis to confirm this but it is certainly the feedback we have had from both schools & unis - they recognise different educational backgrounds.

A big issue though is fee status - there is a 3 year residency requirement to be classified as a domestic student which you need to think about.

ann m

Not sure what age your son is now - but do any schools near you offer the International Baccalaureate ? This might be one option if you are not sure how long you will be living where you are?

ezzie

I am SO pleased to hear we're not the only ones looking at moving their teens (I'm sure you all identify with the amount of agonising over this one!!!). Please check out 'home fees' issues. Unless you've resided in the UK for 3 years, kids will be charged full fees for uni....this is around 3 to 4 times the amount of home fees.

Something to really watch out for is that even if you've resided there for two years, don't think you can pay full fees for the first year then drop to home fees for subsequent years - that admittedly would make sense, but no, you're locked in to pay full fees for the duration of the degree!

We've spoken to uni's and there is no alternative to this.

On the 'what to do with son' issue - how about booking him into an exchange year with an organisation like Rotary and the many similar. He can then live with a host family, be fed, watered and cared for, probably be hosted in a family with kids a similar age to him and have the safety of an organisation to help sort things out or generally watch over him during his year there. Yes, it'll cost...but a hell of a lot less than a boarding school.

deborahjane

Doesn't seem to be a way of getting out of paying those high Uni fees then!

We are going to decide when my Daughter gets her TEE results here this month where she would like to go and she may go to college in Exeter for a couple of years and then apply for Uni.

Hasn't decided what she wants to do as a course yet either so with her only being 17 this month and not being able to do anything until next September she still has time to plan and think it out.

She may do a couple of day courses at coolege and/ or part time work to keep her busy until then.

bramblebush

I haven't read all of the reply's here so forgive me if this has already been suggested.

How about doing them as distance learning. He would have to go back to sit the actual exam but could do the course work from home.