4pommes

Advice please....

dd has just gone into year 10 and ds first year of 6th form in the UK.

We wondered when the best time to move to NZ would be for them as we have been planning this for over 3 years!

If we went over in Jan they would start year 10 (dd) and year 12 (ds). If we waited 2 years then dd would be year 12 and ds in uni.

All advice appreciated please!! They are both doing well academically (ds got 11 gcse at As and Bs) so the workload in NZ would be ok.

Thank you....

luvwelly

I really think it would be in your son's best academic interests to complete his senior education in UK and then go off to Uni while you head to NZ.
AFAIK..there is no real equivalent of GCSE in NZ (age 16 qualification) and so he will be in with the masses doing later school leaving qualifications in an entirely different system.
Also he will qualify for university funding in UK and could be aspiring to Oxbridge etc with such good results...you deny him that by going to NZ now.
Not what you want to hear but I am thinking of your son.
It's not really reasonable imho to drag such a 'nearly adult' to the other side of the world...it puts them in an invidious position for the sake of a 2 year wait.

davros1984

Completely agree with the above. Do not mess up their schooling, coming here it will really affect them - especially at such a late stage.

Snap Shot

That doesn't seem to bother most emigrating families. Especially with, 'we're doing it for the kids' as the catchcry.

pintaguiness-pickledegg

You've waited this long, what's another 3 years. At least you could give them the benefit of gaining A levels instead of NCEA 3 which I'm led to believe is not quite as good. I'm sure the numerous education professionals on this forum will put you straight.

Lb welly

What are the children's wishes?
It is a difficult age to change schools- add in a different academic system disaster and it could result in lower achievement by both children. However if the children are totally on board and up for it you could find that they both flourish.

I will be moving with younger boys (oldest is 13) and will start a college (like a middle school system) and I think for my boys that is the cut off.

All children are different and if yours are up for the challenge go for it x

trafford

I am in a similar position. My youngest daughter has gone into Year 12 having gained 13 GCSE's, A* to B. She wants to study medicine. My son has just started Year 11. My eldest daughter has just started her last year at uni. We obviously missed the opportunity to raise them in NZ, and I do ask myself whether we might have missed the boat. But as far as damage to their education, I am not particularly worried. I was a secondary teacher in NZ and here also, and believe the system to be just as good in NZ. It is different to the UK, but that is not a bad thing - there is too much emphasis on high stakes testing here. Parents, especially UK parents, tend to fall into the trap of ranking schools and systems. If your child is bright enough, which they seem to be, and committed to learning, then they will do well in either system. The NZ education system manages to train doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers etc. Being educated here wont "harm" them, or their prospects. And as for Oxbridge, you can get a very good education elsewhere, you know. Having done postgraduate study with some Oxbridge candidates, they aren't an elite species. If you are really worried about missing out on A Levels, and if budget allows, then some private schools offer the CIE system (which mirrors the UK) or an IB. Some state schools also do.

Of course it will be an adjustment for them, which may or may not impact their education. Here in the UK my daughter has just left her girls only private school, to do her 6th form in a state co-ed college here. That is an adjustment too - different examination boards, currlicula a bit different etc. But she loves it so far (2 weeks in). Sure, she doesn't have to deal with a culture shock, but to be honest, teenagers are teenagers. And maybe the challenge will be a good thing for them.

Whatever choice you make will mean a risk. Moving to NZ may be difficult to adjust to but staying put isn't risk neutral either. There is no guarantee of their educational success in the UK. They may miss out on opportunities in NZ. You know your children best. Are they flexible, adaptable and resilient? Then they will do fine in NZ or the UK.

MrsFychan

what visa are you coming over on, the difficulty with delaying is if you are coming on the skills list in 2/3 yrs time your occupation may no longer be on it.

as someone has already pointed out what do the children, especially the older one think?

skybluestu

We came over 3 years ago when our two children who are with us were 13 and 16. Our Daughter was Year 8 in the UK but when she came here she sat the school test for class streaming and went into year 9 because of her birthday being in January. She has aced school and is currently in year 11 and has already passed her NCEA with credits without having sat her exams yet. (Bright girl must get it from her mother!)

Our Son had completed one year of sixth form in the UK, but was fortunate that they did accelerated learning and he had already done his GCSE’S and A levels. When we got here we had his current qualifications checked against Uni intake requirements and he had enough points to qualify. They changed the law recently and even if you come as a resident you must be here for two years before you can qualify for student loans . He is now studying “Ology’s” at Victoria Uni and loving it so much he only comes home for Food Parcels.

bourbon-biscuit

Firstly, with kids of that age the 'difference' could be between emigrating with your kids and emigrating without them. Emigrating with them could close their opportunity to attend university in the UK if you are unable to pay international fees upfront for them. That's a personal choice for each family with older kids to wrangle over, but it's not a small matter, so the difference is huge.
Secondly, there's no 'benefit' of gaining A levels over NCEA3 per se, particularly if you're committed to moving them to NZ to attend university here. A levels/GCSEs and NCEAs are quite different- if I had to say in very brief the nub of the difference I'd say that GCSEs & A levels are quite content heavy, whereas NCEAs are quite skills heavy (the 'skills' of each particular subject, I mean), but still both sets of qualifications give students skills and content, just with a different emphasis. If you're certain you want your kids to move to NZ with you, then the longer they have in the NZ education system the more opportunity they have to develop a Kiwi identity and understand the NZ world view. However, if you want them to attend uni in the UK then they're probably better off with A levels.
I know a couple of families here who have made the move with older teens and made it work. But then I also know someone who had to wave her 20 year old off back to the UK after 2 years in NZ, and it has broken her Mum's heart. It's tough- wish the OP all the best in making the choices.

pintaguiness-pickledegg

Apologies for being thick but, I don't get it. How can you learn the 'skills' of history, maths, geography etc. I'm confused about the difference between the two qualifications. Previously on BE, I seem to recall there being a bias towards A levels (by some teachers) but now I'm not so sure. I'm moving back to the UK next year so it won't impact my kids yet but I have nightmares of upping sticks again at a crucial point in their education in the future.
Knowing that so many young kiwis bugger off elsewhere anyway because there is not enough for them here, I'm still tempted to consolidate their education in the UK. Alternatively, knowing how ridiculously small minded kiwi employers CAN be about having the 'right' NZ qualifications, I do wonder if they would be disadvantaged by not being educated here.
It's really, really difficult to know what to do for the best for the OP.
A really detailed list of pros and cons is needed (plus a gut feeling might help)!

bourbon-biscuit

Not thick at all- it's complicated stuff! Check outthe NZ curriculum: http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/conte...le/Charts2.pdf
HTH

luvwelly

If most NZ first degree courses are 4 years instead of 3 that implies to me that the NCEA exams don't prepare students to the same depth as A'levels and the extra year at University plugs that gap.
That sounds similar to Scotland where courses are also 4 years and you can go to University earlier than in rest of UK or so I am led to believe.
If your son already knows where his main interests lie then repeating the broader NCEA curriculum may feel like going backwards to him but if he is unsure whether he is an Arts or Science person, it would buy him more time to decide.

I am fairly sure in his shoes I would want to stay in UK though - 2 years from adulthood.

j19fmm

We arrived here mid June, DS had just finished Year 9 in UK, DD had just taken GCSE's - and she did really really well. They were put into Year 10 and 12 at the local High School so they basically complete their schooling 6 months early.
However, GCSE's are not recognised and can not be counted, so DD has had to sit Maths NCEA to be allowed to carry on to Year 13.
Neither of them feels behind at school, they have settled in very quickly and made some good friends.
I guess it totally depends on how your kids view school and the move. I feel very lucky!