dagilondon

Hello, we are moving from London to California (Marin County) this summer. Our son will have just completed Reception in the UK, and yet will also have just reached the age minimum for US kindergarten (he turns 5 this July). From my understanding, the UK education system begins earlier and more intensively than the US system, and so he will leave Reception having completed a curriculum similar to US 1st grade.

I was hoping there are others out there who have run into this issue and might have some advice. My concern is that he will have two years of school in the US where he is largely repeating what he is learning here this year and as a result lose some of his enthusiasm for school. On the other hand, I don't necessarily want to push for him to skip a year as socially his own age group would be a better fit.

What have others done? Not worried about the repetition? Found ways to supplement? Looked for more flexible/challenging schools? If this has been an issue for anyone, I'd greatly appreciate any guidance.

Thank you.

notonuksoil

My eldest had just completed reception in the UK when we first moved to NY in July 2003. She was 5 yrs old and would be 6 the following April.
We contacted the local elementary school prior to moving here and were told she would have to have an assessment to check she was ready for kindergarten. When we arrived she went for the assessment which consisted of her having to count to 20, identify colours and shapes and to recite the alphabet. We were then told she was ready for kindergarten! The fact that she could read and write and knew how to add and subtract numbers up to 20 and knew her 2,3,5 & 10 times tables was not even taken into consideration until after the test when I spoke with the teacher testing her. I also took in her workbooks from her school in the UK and her end of year report from her teacher.

I asked to speak with someone else as I was worried she would be bored repeating a year, later that day I got a call from the schools principle to come in and see her the following day with my daughter. The principle spoke to my daughter, got her to read a book and then said she would be VERY bored in kindergarten. She contacted the schools district office and jointly made the decision to move my daughter up to first grade.

She thrived and did very well although the youngest in her year group and completed 1st and 2nd grade in NY. We moved back to the UK where she did year 3 and year 4 in the same school she attended for reception and was slightly behind her class when she returned in year 3 but caught up quickly.

In year 5 we moved back to NY (the same school district) again she had to get an assessment and again she was ahead of her year group so they were happy for her to go into 5th grade although she should have gone into 4th based on her age.

My advice would be talk to the school and get an idea of what the curriculum for the grade they are entering looks like. Take examples of your childs school work and reports with you. Also consider if your child is mature and confident enough to deal with being in a grade with kids a year or so older than them.

In my experience here on the east coast up until around 6th grade the UK system seems to be ahead of the US but in 7th and 8th grade the US catches up. My daughter is now in 10th grade and is 14 yrs old and some of her friends have already got their drivers licences and are 16.

Good luck!

Pulaski

A lot depends on the local school system, and even the neighborhood as to what kindergartners are capable of. If there is a pre-k/pre school/head start program children may be on level with, or even ahead of their British peers. My daughter was in an educational daycare program the age of 2, and was exposed to many of the ideas that formal education are based on from the class she started at 3 1/2, including counting to 20 and chanting her alphabet, by the time she moved to the pre-k year at 4 1/2 she was learning to read, and to count to 100. She is now 6 years old (just) in kindergarten, and can read with fair fluency and count in 2's, 5's, and 10's (times tables equiv). I doubt she is behind her British peers, though one or two of her classmates who had not had the preschool experience my daughter had, have struggled, and one has been sent back to the pre-k class. I hear that another one or two were sent directly to the pre-k program despite being old enough on paper for kindergarten.

LeavingLondon

I'm sure it very much depends on the school. My kids are in Y1 in the UK and we've been told that they won't be learning their times tables until Y2 (so I've no idea what they'll be doing until then) but currently have a spelling test and a maths test each week, depending on their ability so in fact I'm not sure how different that is to some US Kindergardens. I worry about whether or not to put them in K or try them for 1st Grade but figure I'll just wait and see what happens when I get to the States and when I find a school.

Bob

Welcome to BE and good luck with the move!

It might be worth searching the past threads on BE as there have been quite a few on this very topic, with a lot of great info and opinions. There's also some info in the wiki about schooling that might help.

notonuksoil

One thing you WILL need to do is make sure your kids are up to date with their vaccinations for the state you will be living in, you will also need to provide proof that they have had the vaccination

Here is what is required in NY state to give you an idea what may be required where you go. http://www.health.ny.gov/publications/2370.pdf

jeffreyhy

Discuss your concern with the staff at the school where you will be registering your child. Together you will come to an appropriate decision on placement.

Regards, JEff

Mummy in the foothills

He really won't be repeating what he did in Reception class, Kindergarten is pretty much year 1 in UK.
My Dd is in 2nd grade and in Kinder she was doing the same work as her little UK friend who was in Y1 Now in 2nd grade and friend is in Y3 and still they are pretty even. Their written skills and reading levels are about the same. Maths I have no idea as they usually only write each other and send pictures. But Dd is doing Multiplication in 2nd grade.

Cardienscarf

We were in the same situation when we moved here 22 years ago. My eldest son was 6 and went straight into 2nd grade. He certainly held his own, did very well and made friends. However, he was young for his own year as his birthday is in June so as he turned 7, some of the older kids in the class were turning 9. At this age, it's not too much of an issue but I saw problems as he got older.

I had two teenage step-daughters and I saw how important high school is - not just the education part, but the social aspects as well. Prom, driving license, dating, etc etc etc. I thought things could get very difficult for my son when his friends were starting to do things that he wasn't old enough to do yet.

I wasn't happy with the school he was at, so decided to move him when we was going in to 3rd grade which was the same time my younger son was starting Kindergarten. There were many discussions between myself and the staff of the new school, and my son spent some time in both 2nd and 3rd grade classrooms. I had really already decided he should go into 2nd grade and then he said he wanted to be with the kids his own age. Because it was a new school with a new approach, I don't think he ever felt held back and I never regretted the decision.

I would suggest considering not just what is happening now for your son but how it will affect him as he goes through the school system.

lndn2nbca

All vaccinations can be waived in California. On the back of the form where you fill out what vaccinations the child has had, there is a box to waive all requirements. You have to agree to withdraw your child from school in the event of an outbreak of a communicable disease, but that would be sensible anyway.
The school staff are often unfamiliar with the waiver, but it's a legal right.

lndn2nbca

I don't know if its a California state thing, or our school district thing, but our school would not even begin to entertain putting the kids in a grade above their age.
My interpretation is that you won't be significantly worse off by having your son sit through K even after he's already completed reception in the UK. I don't believe reception in the UK is the equivalent of US 1st grade.

Worth speaking to a couple of different schools if you have options, but ultimately, when in Rome........
The school system here really isn't bad by any stretch. By having him adhere to the system here, he won't be disadvantaged.

slummymummy

Is your child bright? If you have $20,000 to spare per year maybe check out this school for gifted children:

http://www.gateacademy.org/

Where we live in FL we have a free gifted program in the public schools, but I don't know what it's like where you're moving to. They might do some special classes for brighter children but maybe not a "full-time" gifted program.

My daughter is the same age as your son. She is starting Kindergarten this autumn. In her preschool they have learned a lot and she can read and write. I think there will be a wide range of abilities in Kindergarten and hopefully the teachers will accomodate this. (However, we are hoping that she will qualify for the "gifted" program...)

notonuksoil

From our experience reception in the UK was more challenging than Kindergarten here in NY. Our school in the UK seemed more focused on the basics of reading writing and number skills than the early years k-2 here in NY. The OP mentioned they only planned to be in the US for two years then returning to the UK which was what we did. With this in mind it was one of the factors that the school district here in NY used to determine that my daughter move up a grade. The other factors were her social skills, confidence and her ability to mix and play with other kids. She was and still is an academically gifted kid and we are happy with how things have worked out for us.
My recommendation for the OP would be to talk with the schools both in the UK and the US and also to her child and see what will work best for the child as every child is different. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer other than whats best for the individual child and the parents will know their own child and how they will cope in either situation

Zez

We are having the same dilemma for if we move. I've looked at the California school standards and kindergarten seems a very similar curriculum to reception. Since my daughter has only missed the us cut off by 2 months I'll be pushing for her to go into first grade in September. Not least because we'd only be in the us for 2 years and I don't want her to be a year behind her peers when she returns

penguinsix

Hi

This is a frequently asked question and I'd suggest taking a look at our wiki:

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Educat...s_in_school%3F

I'd also *strongly* suggest reading through this thread which is basically an identical situation to what you are encountering:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=643985

The USA is far to large and the education far too diverse to have a "one size fits all" answer to your situation. In many places expats have reported US kindergarten is on par with Grade 1 in the UK. It will depend in part on the school you are entering, and the school you are coming from. It will also depend on your child's emotional and physical development (far more, in fact, than their academic record to date). To paraphrase Sir Ken Robinson, the most important thing in determining when to start your child's education is not their "date of manufacture".

If you want to move your kid ahead you should bring a copy of the curriculum and coursework you had in the UK and show it to the administrators in Marin when you arrive. They'll compare it to what their students are going to be learning and what they have already learned in the pre-school (K-3) and transitional kindergarten programs offered there. Even if they will not entertain the idea at first it is likely they will observe the child's development in the first few days and weeks to make sure you have a good fit, and if not they may move them to a different class if needed.