Linda Max

I posted a while ago about NZ versus UK education, and we are now sending our 16 year old back to live with her sister in Scotland to finish her education. She will go straight into highers, so we are hoping that she will cope OK. She leaves in the next week or so. Not sure why I'm writing this post, guess I need some reasurance that it is the right thing to do.

jat

not that ive got kids myself - but i do have a scottish education and if i did have kids i would prefer to them to have scottish ed than oz/nz or us education.....

i have a friend who recently returned to scotland from oz with her 16 year old daughter - she will be going back to school this year and they are relieved that shes doing highers also.....

well worth the investment of doing exams back there

Kath

I think you have made the right decision, at least your daughter is heading in the right direction, she can get on with her life and at least she will be staying with family. What immediate option was there for her in New Zealand? What a harsh education system.

Our biggest headache coming to Perth has been education, our son is very bright and was totally bored in the state system We have everything sorted now but only because we've gone for an elite private school, we hadn't planned for this so the fees are a shock, but at least he is getting pushed academically.

All the very best of luck to you.

Englishmum

When my daughter was 16 she had just taken her IGCSE's at an International school in Singapore which had a British curriculum. We were then sent on an expat post to the US where there are no British schools in our area (New York Metropolitan area) where she could take her "A" levels. She had been recommended by her school to go on to do the International Baccalaureate Diploma which is recognised by universities worldwide....but it's an incredibly tough course. All the information we had received about where we were going to live only seemed to be about the traditional American High Schools. You probably know that in the States they begin school later than in the UK and they are behind their British counterparts at High School level. It would have been taking a backward step putting our daughter into the local school...plus all the problems of being accepted by a peer group of kids (whom I think are more immature than European kids at the same age).

We enrolled our daughter at a boarding school for girls for her "A" levels, one mile from Oxford city centre. It took her a good while to settle in and she would often phone us in the early hours of the morning saying she didn't like it. I was thinking of pulling her out of the school but my husband didn't agree (she is a drama queen!). I'm glad that we didn't because she did settle down after a while (in the lower Sixth they had to share a bedroom and after she changed with another girl things got better). It was hard on her as all my family live 50 miles from the school and my mother doesn't even drive; hence we chose a school with good transport links.

She became more confident and independent by being away from us as she had to learn to do things for herself. She took a Gap Year after leaving school and spent 5 months in India & Nepal last year, then after spending a couple of weeks at my mum's house went inter-railing and youth hostelling around Europe with her friend from boarding school. This Summer on her Summer break from uni she is planning to go cycling in Egypt.


Ironically I've only recently discovered that a private school about 5 miles away offers the IB....although they charge at least $20,000 USD in fees just for tuition - and it's a day school.

I know that the Scottish education system is of a very high standard and I'm sure that your daughter will be getting a better education than you can find for her in NZ otherwise you wouldn't have considered it. Also, by being resident in Scotland it means that you/she will get a free of charge university education; I don't know how much one has to pay in NZ but by having a Scottish address there won't be any International student tuition fees to pay either.

You're going to miss each other for sure, but do get a webcam so you can see and speak to each other every day free of charge over the internet, and of course there is Instant Messaging. You can guarantee within the next two-three years and beyond your daughter will be turning up on your doorstep with friends who want to go backpacking in NZ (inspired by LoR trilogy no doubt!) and wanting to stopover at your house! (We gave loads of student backpackers lifts when we were drving around NZ in a campervan - it seems so safe to go hitch-hiking there unlike most over places in the world).

If you want to discuss further, please feel free to send me a PM.

JAJ

Out of interest, what's her status in New Zealand - is she a temporary resident, permanent resident, or a New Zealand citizen?

If she's a permanent resident, you should make sure she has the proper returning resident visa (preferably indefinite).

Jeremy

Linda Max

Many thanks to everyone who has replied to my post with such foresight and great advice. It is going to be a very difficult time for all of us, but we know after putting 3 of our children through NZ schools, that it is the right thing for our daughter, and she feels that it is the right thing for her and she really wants to go.
We are NZ citizens so no problems about that.