Education: GCSE/High School
Jan 23rd 2012, 8:48 pm
#16
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 49
Re: Education: GCSE/High School
Following this thread with interest as we may be in a similar situation with our daughters. They will leave school this summer and then start studying for their A levels.
We may be facing the possibility of them only completing the first year of their A Level course before moving to the States so not sure what will happen then? It would be good to think they could go straight into Senior High but given the difference in curriculum I very much doubt it!
We may be facing the possibility of them only completing the first year of their A Level course before moving to the States so not sure what will happen then? It would be good to think they could go straight into Senior High but given the difference in curriculum I very much doubt it!
Jan 23rd 2012, 8:50 pm
#17
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 49
Re: Education: GCSE/High School
You could homeschool your daughter using a tutor for A-Levels. All you would need is an exam centre to accept her as an external candidate. A-Levels would be more than enough to be accepted into a US College and gives her the opportunity to apply for UK Universities too.
Jan 23rd 2012, 8:57 pm
#18
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 3
Re: Education: GCSE/High School
I think what will happen is they will recognize all GCSE courses. With the A-levels half way through I am really not sure - they may have a hard time to match it against Advanced Placements courses here, if the courses are not finished. Perhaps best thing you can do is check with the school counselor here - they may be able to find a way to give her credit for partially completed A-levels (would that be recognized as AS level in the UK?).
I must say children and their adaptation to living in the new country is the most difficult bit here.
Another thing you need to be aware is that your children will be very compromised in terms of social life, because they will not be able to drive alone for the first year (and all their peers will have been driving for many years at that time). We live in a nice neighborhood but there is no public transport. Going to school in the yellow school bus is quite difficult for my son - all his peers drive in their own cars. And of course meeting friends and going to any places after school or on weekends is very hard without being able to drive there - unless you live in the city that is walkable or has good public transport system. Just be prepared for this.
I must say children and their adaptation to living in the new country is the most difficult bit here.
Another thing you need to be aware is that your children will be very compromised in terms of social life, because they will not be able to drive alone for the first year (and all their peers will have been driving for many years at that time). We live in a nice neighborhood but there is no public transport. Going to school in the yellow school bus is quite difficult for my son - all his peers drive in their own cars. And of course meeting friends and going to any places after school or on weekends is very hard without being able to drive there - unless you live in the city that is walkable or has good public transport system. Just be prepared for this.
Jan 24th 2012, 12:14 pm
#19
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2011
Location: Gosport
Posts: 227
Re: Education: GCSE/High School
Just to give you the extent of my knowledge. I am a tutor working with children in a US High School having been through the UK system and taught at UK Secondary Schools.
To graduate from the US System you need to have done a certain amount of 'credits'. This means your son or daughter needs to complete subject topics for four years to be able to graduate with the High School Diploma.
If you change into the US System half way through it is difficult to catch up given the amount of 'credits' already missed.
A-Levels exist everywhere but you would need to find a school which offered them. This would most likely be an international school. If you wanted to go down a home-schooling route, you would still need to find a exam centre for your son or daughter to sit the exam as an external candidate. This is moot however, since schools would only be an exam centre for A-Levels if they offered the course themselves.
The US System does allow 'virtual highschools'. These are run online and your son or daughter will have a teacher they learn from using video conferencing. All assignments and tests are done online. If you are short by a few credits, this could 'top up' and allow them to achieve their Diploma.
Unfortunately, there is no such provision for the UK system. If you wanted your son or daughter to sit the A-Level, especially if they had already sat their AS exams, they would have to register at the nearest exam centre which would allow that. This could be back in the UK. The British Council should be able to help you find the nearest school that is a registered Exam centre.
If you are unsure about whether or not to change I would say that the A-Level route is far superior in terms of University/College as it is universally recognised as being a better qualification.
If your son or daughter has the chance I would seriously look at enrolling them to sit the US SAT exam. It would cost you some money, as it does every student, but you can sit it multiple times and you can take the exam multiple times throughout the year. Your local High School should accept any and all external candidates.
If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me and I will help you the best I can.
To graduate from the US System you need to have done a certain amount of 'credits'. This means your son or daughter needs to complete subject topics for four years to be able to graduate with the High School Diploma.
If you change into the US System half way through it is difficult to catch up given the amount of 'credits' already missed.
A-Levels exist everywhere but you would need to find a school which offered them. This would most likely be an international school. If you wanted to go down a home-schooling route, you would still need to find a exam centre for your son or daughter to sit the exam as an external candidate. This is moot however, since schools would only be an exam centre for A-Levels if they offered the course themselves.
The US System does allow 'virtual highschools'. These are run online and your son or daughter will have a teacher they learn from using video conferencing. All assignments and tests are done online. If you are short by a few credits, this could 'top up' and allow them to achieve their Diploma.
Unfortunately, there is no such provision for the UK system. If you wanted your son or daughter to sit the A-Level, especially if they had already sat their AS exams, they would have to register at the nearest exam centre which would allow that. This could be back in the UK. The British Council should be able to help you find the nearest school that is a registered Exam centre.
If you are unsure about whether or not to change I would say that the A-Level route is far superior in terms of University/College as it is universally recognised as being a better qualification.
If your son or daughter has the chance I would seriously look at enrolling them to sit the US SAT exam. It would cost you some money, as it does every student, but you can sit it multiple times and you can take the exam multiple times throughout the year. Your local High School should accept any and all external candidates.
If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me and I will help you the best I can.
Jan 24th 2012, 12:17 pm
#20
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2011
Location: Gosport
Posts: 227
Re: Education: GCSE/High School
The curriculum content is not too dissimilar. A good teacher should be able to switch easily between qualification. The best side of this is the A-Level is a standardised exam. This means you can get hold of past papers, mark schemes etc. In the US system, the tests are not standardised and are purely made up by the teachers in the classes.
