# Australian Secondary School to U.K School - HEEEELP!



## notanexpatyet (Sep 12, 2010)

Hi everyone 

My daughter who is 14 in Feb and in year 9 this year will need to go to school this year in the U.K (we are moving to Devon)

i am really struggling to find a school.

I am so concerned that she will need to repeat a year upon our return home 1 - 2 years later.

I'm not saying that education will be bad in the U.K but dont know what the levels are - i'ts so confusing.

What are international schools? Are there any in the U.K that study the Australian Curriculum?

Thanks so much for any help you can provide.

CASSANDRA


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## temporary (Apr 5, 2010)

notanexpatyet said:


> Hi everyone
> 
> My daughter who is 14 in Feb and in year 9 this year will need to go to school this year in the U.K (we are moving to Devon)
> 
> ...



what month was your daughter born in? This will make the difference. Also...what state are you coming from?

The school year starts in september here and the years are
(please correct me if Im wrong anyone)

Primary (I'll leave out reception)

year 1 - the year you turn 6
year 2 - 7
year 3 - 8
year 4-9
year 5-10
year 6- 11

Here (wirral) they do an 11plus exam (by choice) to see if they can get into a grammar school or not

then they go to "high school" - grammar or comprehensive (these are co-ed)
so 
year 7 - year they turn 12
year 8 - 13 
year 9 - year they turn 14
year 10 - year they turn 15 (gcse year)

Then they can leave or go on to "A" levels- which is odd as they can oly do 3 subjects if they like rather than the whole senior curriculum. This can be done at a separate college or at the school if they have s senior section.

My son turned 6 in september last year and started grade 1. I was only just thinking he would only be starting next week if we were home.

I dont have a very high opinion of many schools here. My stepson left school at 15! he got some gcse's and left. I would equate that to the old queensland system grade 10. He went to a comprehensive school.
We have quite a few grammar schools in this area and Id hope my son would go to one if we stayed here but its awfully high pressured for the kids.

Devon might be really good though


Ive heard international schools are good everywhere but not sure.

is your daughter academically good? (for want of a better way of asking)


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## temporary (Apr 5, 2010)

sorry, realise you did say feb. S9 she couls just start year 10 in september as she will be the right age

I think id ask some schools tbh...Ive a feeling they might ask her to start year 9 again in september so she has her 2 gcse years.

or I might be talking out of my hat


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## notanexpatyet (Sep 12, 2010)

thanks so much for replying and for the information. I thought maybe they were the same year levels but wasn't sure.

I'm not sure she would be ready to start year 10 in Septemeber this year - She is not academically minded at all, she has a bit of difficulty...Having said that the curriculam might be similar to the standard she is at and can begin in year 10.

I'm going to contact some schools and find out the process for admission.

The State schools are the "fee payable" schools arent they?

Thanks so much


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## temporary (Apr 5, 2010)

Its taken me ages to try to understand the system but here on wirral the comprehensive schools and academies are free, the grammar schools are free but you need to do an entrance exam and its only the private ones (sometimes called public) that are fee paying. They are often not the best academically tbh...the grammar schools are better. 

Its odd as Im catholic and am used to the whole "faith schools are private = fee paying", "non faith schools are state" but here the catholic schools are amongst the non fee paying.

my son goes to a free catholic primary and my stepson went to a free catholic comp. We have a boys catholic and girls catholic grammar school here on wirral and c of e ones as well.

I personally wouldnt send my son to a private one here on wirral as the grammar schools are better academically (for high school) but they dont have the grammar schools everywhere - i think some areas have phased that system out.

this all being said....hopefully we will be home soon and my little fella will go to high school in brisbane...if not, he will try the 11 plus and see what happens (no pressure).


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## notanexpatyet (Sep 12, 2010)

temporary said:


> Its taken me ages to try to understand the system but here on wirral the comprehensive schools and academies are free, the grammar schools are free but you need to do an entrance exam and its only the private ones (sometimes called public) that are fee paying. They are often not the best academically tbh...the grammar schools are better.
> 
> Its odd as Im catholic and am used to the whole "faith schools are private = fee paying", "non faith schools are state" but here the catholic schools are amongst the non fee paying.
> 
> ...


it's all really daunting but I have managed thanks in part to your advice to find 3 suitable schools (on paper at least) in Exeter.
I'll start looking here but unsure if we'll be in Exeter or South Molton so I guess I'll look in both places.

The schools are 
Clyst Vale Community College
St James School
West Exe Tecnology College.

All have the kind of provisions we need, extended services and special needs provisions and 2 of the 3 have post 16 studies which is our equivalent to VCAL which is what I wanted my daughter to be a part of when she hits year 11.

I find it hard to believe also that the catholic/CofE schools are free and the "public" schools are fee paying hahaha what a world eh?!

I doubt Grammar schools are the way for us as I'm not sure my daughter would do well in the entrance exam and it would just put unecessary pressure on her I am sure.


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## temporary (Apr 5, 2010)

notanexpatyet said:


> it's all really daunting but I have managed thanks in part to your advice to find 3 suitable schools (on paper at least) in Exeter.
> I'll start looking here but unsure if we'll be in Exeter or South Molton so I guess I'll look in both places.
> 
> The schools are
> ...


Now you can look up the ofsted reports to see what the standards are.

will get the link


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## temporary (Apr 5, 2010)

notanexpatyet said:


> it's all really daunting but I have managed thanks in part to your advice to find 3 suitable schools (on paper at least) in Exeter.
> I'll start looking here but unsure if we'll be in Exeter or South Molton so I guess I'll look in both places.
> 
> The schools are
> ...




Clyst Vale Community College - Ofsted

St James School - Ofsted

West Exe Technology College - Ofsted

main site Schools / Inspection reports / Ofsted home / Ofsted - Ofsted


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## notanexpatyet (Sep 12, 2010)

Oh thanks so much for that, appreciate your effort


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Just to clarify the school system and terminology in England:
*State schools *are those that receive government funding and charge no fees to parents. They are also called *maintained schools *(i.e. being maintained by public purse).
*Church schools *or *Faith schools*, be they Roman Catholic or Church of England (there are a few others, like Hindu, Jewish, Islamic, Methodist, joint RC-CE etc) can be state (maintained) schools, in which case they are called *voluntary aided *schools (VA for short), or private.
*Private schools* - those that receive no state funding and charge fees to parents - are also called (officially) *independent schools*. Some older, prestigious, mainly boarding, boys' schools like Eton, Harrow, Winchester and Rugby are called *public schools *(because historically they were founded for public benefit but have become selective and fee-paying since mid-Victorian times).
*Grammar schools *are traditionally state-funded (so no fees charged to parents) but have selective entry through a test called Eleven Plus. Many areas have abolished grammar school system as socially divisive and grammar schools there have since become mostly state *comprehensive schools *(non-selective academically) or fee-paying independent schools, but a few areas still maintain it, like Wirral, parts of Kent, Lincolnshire and Trafford. Even in areas that have abolished grammar school system, some state-funded schools remain with selective entry (they set their own entry exams). Examples are Liverpool Blue Coat School (formerly boys, now co-ed) and Henrietta Barnett School (girls) in London.
*Academy *is a special category of state schools that are directly funded by central governmnet with some private sponsorships, often a business or a charitable trust.


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## notanexpatyet (Sep 12, 2010)

Awesome Joppa, cheers!


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