# Education for 16 year olds



## ncundy

We will be moving to NZ next year, myself in Feb and my family in July once my daughter has completed her GCSE's.
I am wondering how my daughter will fit into the education system as it appears a bit confusing everywhere I look. What we know as college which would be her next step in the UK does not seem to exist in NZ and appears to be part of the secondary education system (If i am reading all this correct) and I have been informed she will be too old to slot into this system. The only other option as we see it is University but again will GCSE,s be enough to get her into UNI as UNI seems a step too far for her at this stage.
Has anyone else been in the same situation or know how she will slot into the education system once out in NZ.
We will be initially be living in the Devonport area.
Any help or advice would be very much appreciated

Neil


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## alansheffield

ncundy said:


> We will be moving to NZ next year, myself in Feb and my family in July once my daughter has completed her GCSE's.
> I am wondering how my daughter will fit into the education system as it appears a bit confusing everywhere I look. What we know as college which would be her next step in the UK does not seem to exist in NZ and appears to be part of the secondary education system (If i am reading all this correct) and I have been informed she will be too old to slot into this system. The only other option as we see it is University but again will GCSE,s be enough to get her into UNI as UNI seems a step too far for her at this stage.
> Has anyone else been in the same situation or know how she will slot into the education system once out in NZ.
> We will be initially be living in the Devonport area.
> Any help or advice would be very much appreciated
> 
> Neil


Hi Neil 

We have just made a similar move. We have just arrived with our 16 year old granddaughter. She finished her GCSE's in June and is planning to start post 16 education in Auckland this coming February. There is a syste of post 16 education - and most of it is done in individual schools (year 12 and 13). She could start University at 16 but she would need enough points and GCSE's would not give her that...We realised quite quickly that the different system in NZ would be a challenge for our granddaughter. The NZ system looks good and is well respected internationally but its very different (I think) from the Uk system. They teach a more general education in post 16 - where students have to do a wide range of subjects. we were concerned that my Granddaughter would not understand the NZ system and that this would hold her back - we also worried that as she was 'new' in the school she might struggle to make friends - as kids tend to stay in their own school to do post 16 education (although i think NZ young people are very welcoming to overseas students - its quite normal)We also visited before we came and she went to a number of schools and it became clear that there were also major cultural differences that would be hard for her to adjust to..for example all 16 and 17 year olds wear uniforms and some of them look strange to an English 16 year old - she was not keen! 

What is interesting is that a number of schools do Cambridge International A levels. Some of the 'state schools' do this as well as a number of private schools. For example in Auckland there are two or three none fee paying schools who do A levels. The options are limited (usually about 6 or 7 subjects) but they are there. We also found a number of private schools - (which is what we have opted for) - there is one in the city centre - which has a good reputation and there is also a number of faith schools that also do this...

We have therefore opted for for to do A levels - not only will this give her choices when she has finished (she will be able to go to university in england - if there is any system remaining! - New Zealand and Australia (she has NZ residency) A levels are well respected at Auckland University....so no problem there.

The bigger challenge for us has been the gap between her finishing GCSE's in England and starting in NZ - her mates in the UK started before we left and now she is waiting to start school ...and so is not able to meet peers until February..which makes it hard for her. 

Feel free to ask any questions Neil...we are living through the transition as we speak so have lots of insights...where will you be working? Devonport is great....


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## jenswaters

alansheffield said:


> Hi Neil
> 
> We have just made a similar move. We have just arrived with our 16 year old granddaughter. She finished her GCSE's in June and is planning to start post 16 education in Auckland this coming February. There is a syste of post 16 education - and most of it is done in individual schools (year 12 and 13). She could start University at 16 but she would need enough points and GCSE's would not give her that...We realised quite quickly that the different system in NZ would be a challenge for our granddaughter. The NZ system looks good and is well respected internationally but its very different (I think) from the Uk system. They teach a more general education in post 16 - where students have to do a wide range of subjects. we were concerned that my Granddaughter would not understand the NZ system and that this would hold her back - we also worried that as she was 'new' in the school she might struggle to make friends - as kids tend to stay in their own school to do post 16 education (although i think NZ young people are very welcoming to overseas students - its quite normal)We also visited before we came and she went to a number of schools and it became clear that there were also major cultural differences that would be hard for her to adjust to..for example all 16 and 17 year olds wear uniforms and some of them look strange to an English 16 year old - she was not keen!
> 
> What is interesting is that a number of schools do Cambridge International A levels. Some of the 'state schools' do this as well as a number of private schools. For example in Auckland there are two or three none fee paying schools who do A levels. The options are limited (usually about 6 or 7 subjects) but they are there. We also found a number of private schools - (which is what we have opted for) - there is one in the city centre - which has a good reputation and there is also a number of faith schools that also do this...
> 
> We have therefore opted for for to do A levels - not only will this give her choices when she has finished (she will be able to go to university in england - if there is any system remaining! - New Zealand and Australia (she has NZ residency) A levels are well respected at Auckland University....so no problem there.
> 
> The bigger challenge for us has been the gap between her finishing GCSE's in England and starting in NZ - her mates in the UK started before we left and now she is waiting to start school ...and so is not able to meet peers until February..which makes it hard for her.
> 
> Feel free to ask any questions Neil...we are living through the transition as we speak so have lots of insights...where will you be working? Devonport is great....



This is an awesome post, Alan. Great advice. It is the trickiest time, and quite often the reason that many expats choose the schools that offer the A/AS levels for the choice and transition.


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## wammers

ncundy said:


> We will be moving to NZ next year, myself in Feb and my family in July once my daughter has completed her GCSE's.
> I am wondering how my daughter will fit into the education system as it appears a bit confusing everywhere I look. What we know as college which would be her next step in the UK does not seem to exist in NZ and appears to be part of the secondary education system (If i am reading all this correct) and I have been informed she will be too old to slot into this system. The only other option as we see it is University but again will GCSE,s be enough to get her into UNI as UNI seems a step too far for her at this stage.
> Has anyone else been in the same situation or know how she will slot into the education system once out in NZ.
> We will be initially be living in the Devonport area.
> Any help or advice would be very much appreciated
> 
> Neil


Hi Neil
We too have just made the same move this year, at exactly the same time, with a 16 year old daughter, as you are considering doing in 2011. 
Because of the seasonal difference here, your daughter will more than likely, not continue with her education until Feb 2012 so be prepared for a very emotionally challenging but an intense family bonding session for 6 months! 
We checked out our local state run school immediately after arriving in early Aug and as we didnt have a visa as such, we were told we would have to pay $5000 per term for her as an International student but to be quite honest they weren't that happy about her starting until the following Feb as her school year (year 12 over here) were due to sit their Level 2 exams very soon. As she had just sat her GCSEs in the UK, there was no need for her to sit the Level 2, so she will have to wait till next year before she can fully settle in to NZ life. She will then take her Level 3 which takes just 1 year and then she will either go to Polytechnic, Uni or find a job. She could have started Polytechnic this coming Feb rather than going to take her level 3 but she isnt exactly sure what she wants to do yet, so its best that she takes a few subjects that interest her for another 12 months and hopefully she will decide which subject she likes the most. 
The difference here is that kids sit their Level 1 in year 11, level 2 in year 12 and level 3 in year 13. And they are awarded credits which give them an achievement certificate. What I am a bit uncertain of, is level 2 in year 12 more advanced than the UK GCSE in year 11? And is the level 3, which is only a 1 year course, equivalent to A level standard? If so, is our daughter going to slightly behind when she starts her level 3 in Feb next year? 
For us, moving our 16yr old over here has been the most difficult part of the move. All in all she is coping really well with the situation and we have done as much as we can to get her involved with young people (ie netball, dance/drama, gym, neighbours etc) and she has made a few friends but nothing to replace her best friends she has left behind in the UK. This will take time and as we know teenagers are notoriously, moody and impatient when it comes to anything!
But thankfully, as yet, she hasnt given us too much grief and is willing to 'stick it out' over here and hopefully find the better life that we have been promising her, will happen. And to be honest, she is already noticing a better lifestyle is on its way with the positive signs that are surrounding her - ie better weather, relaxed parents, outdoor fun, less peer pressure (clothing, make-up, other material nonsense!) so I dont think it'll be long before she feels the same as us.
Hope all that makes sense and if there's anything else we can help with, dont hesitate to ask. Sorry but we dont know anything about Devonport but i'm sure its lovely. 
You and your daughter have a lot to look forward to - we definitely have no regrets.
Good luck with everthing.


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## linbin

*16 year old education*



wammers said:


> Hi Neil
> We too have just made the same move this year, at exactly the same time, with a 16 year old daughter, as you are considering doing in 2011.
> Because of the seasonal difference here, your daughter will more than likely, not continue with her education until Feb 2012 so be prepared for a very emotionally challenging but an intense family bonding session for 6 months!
> We checked out our local state run school immediately after arriving in early Aug and as we didnt have a visa as such, we were told we would have to pay $5000 per term for her as an International student but to be quite honest they weren't that happy about her starting until the following Feb as her school year (year 12 over here) were due to sit their Level 2 exams very soon. As she had just sat her GCSEs in the UK, there was no need for her to sit the Level 2, so she will have to wait till next year before she can fully settle in to NZ life. She will then take her Level 3 which takes just 1 year and then she will either go to Polytechnic, Uni or find a job. She could have started Polytechnic this coming Feb rather than going to take her level 3 but she isnt exactly sure what she wants to do yet, so its best that she takes a few subjects that interest her for another 12 months and hopefully she will decide which subject she likes the most.
> The difference here is that kids sit their Level 1 in year 11, level 2 in year 12 and level 3 in year 13. And they are awarded credits which give them an achievement certificate. What I am a bit uncertain of, is level 2 in year 12 more advanced than the UK GCSE in year 11? And is the level 3, which is only a 1 year course, equivalent to A level standard? If so, is our daughter going to slightly behind when she starts her level 3 in Feb next year?
> For us, moving our 16yr old over here has been the most difficult part of the move. All in all she is coping really well with the situation and we have done as much as we can to get her involved with young people (ie netball, dance/drama, gym, neighbours etc) and she has made a few friends but nothing to replace her best friends she has left behind in the UK. This will take time and as we know teenagers are notoriously, moody and impatient when it comes to anything!
> But thankfully, as yet, she hasnt given us too much grief and is willing to 'stick it out' over here and hopefully find the better life that we have been promising her, will happen. And to be honest, she is already noticing a better lifestyle is on its way with the positive signs that are surrounding her - ie better weather, relaxed parents, outdoor fun, less peer pressure (clothing, make-up, other material nonsense!) so I dont think it'll be long before she feels the same as us.
> Hope all that makes sense and if there's anything else we can help with, dont hesitate to ask. Sorry but we dont know anything about Devonport but i'm sure its lovely.
> You and your daughter have a lot to look forward to - we definitely have no regrets.
> Good luck with everthing.


Hi i have posted about my soon to be 16 year old daughter entering nz education.We are moving to Orewa, Rodney district end of August to make matters more complicated we are moving from France where the education system is diferent again. She has her "brevet" and at 15 entered into lycee which is further education , she is just finishing her 1 st year of a 3 year Baccalaureate qualification. So she has no GCSEs but French ed system seems similar to NZ as they do every subject even at Lycee but specialise too. concerned she may be sat at home till feb, would prefer her to redo a year, get the credits and catch up. she is only 16 in july so wouldnt be too big a deal for her.
any thoughts!!


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## wammers

linbin said:


> Hi i have posted about my soon to be 16 year old daughter entering nz education.We are moving to Orewa, Rodney district end of August to make matters more complicated we are moving from France where the education system is diferent again. She has her "brevet" and at 15 entered into lycee which is further education , she is just finishing her 1 st year of a 3 year Baccalaureate qualification. So she has no GCSEs but French ed system seems similar to NZ as they do every subject even at Lycee but specialise too. concerned she may be sat at home till feb, would prefer her to redo a year, get the credits and catch up. she is only 16 in july so wouldnt be too big a deal for her.
> any thoughts!!


Hi
I'm not sure I can be of much help here but I would think the school will be able to convert her french qualifications into credits just like they do with GCSE's. Our daughter started in year 13 this year and so far she seems to be coping ok with the courses she has chosen. The school did inform her that she can drop back a year though if she was struggling so I would think the school will do the same with your daughter and slot her into her year group and assess her ability when she has been there for a few weeks. Its not really a big deal if she does drop back a year - at least it will give her longer to settle in and make more friends.

If you are coming with a visa or work permit, your daughter should be able to attend school immediately, which will be much better for her and you. Is this the case or are you doing our trick and coming over on a 'wing and prayer'?

Hope that helps a bit

Mandy


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## linbin

*16 year old entering ed*



wammers said:


> Hi
> I'm not sure I can be of much help here but I would think the school will be able to convert her french qualifications into credits just like they do with GCSE's. Our daughter started in year 13 this year and so far she seems to be coping ok with the courses she has chosen. The school did inform her that she can drop back a year though if she was struggling so I would think the school will do the same with your daughter and slot her into her year group and assess her ability when she has been there for a few weeks. Its not really a big deal if she does drop back a year - at least it will give her longer to settle in and make more friends.
> 
> If you are coming with a visa or work permit, your daughter should be able to attend school immediately, which will be much better for her and you. Is this the case or are you doing our trick and coming over on a 'wing and prayer'?
> 
> Hope that helps a bit
> 
> Mandy


Mandy
No luckily we are coming over on a long term business visa and working visa too so her entering ed straight away should not be a problem. will look into translating her Brevet and thanks for your input, exciting times ahead!


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## atalia

*Hi there*

I was interested to read about the Alevels in some schools. Do you by chance have the names of the schools in Auckland?
Many thanks, Maria.



alansheffield said:


> Hi Neil
> 
> We have just made a similar move. We have just arrived with our 16 year old granddaughter. She finished her GCSE's in June and is planning to start post 16 education in Auckland this coming February. There is a syste of post 16 education - and most of it is done in individual schools (year 12 and 13). She could start University at 16 but she would need enough points and GCSE's would not give her that...We realised quite quickly that the different system in NZ would be a challenge for our granddaughter. The NZ system looks good and is well respected internationally but its very different (I think) from the Uk system. They teach a more general education in post 16 - where students have to do a wide range of subjects. we were concerned that my Granddaughter would not understand the NZ system and that this would hold her back - we also worried that as she was 'new' in the school she might struggle to make friends - as kids tend to stay in their own school to do post 16 education (although i think NZ young people are very welcoming to overseas students - its quite normal)We also visited before we came and she went to a number of schools and it became clear that there were also major cultural differences that would be hard for her to adjust to..for example all 16 and 17 year olds wear uniforms and some of them look strange to an English 16 year old - she was not keen!
> 
> What is interesting is that a number of schools do Cambridge International A levels. Some of the 'state schools' do this as well as a number of private schools. For example in Auckland there are two or three none fee paying schools who do A levels. The options are limited (usually about 6 or 7 subjects) but they are there. We also found a number of private schools - (which is what we have opted for) - there is one in the city centre - which has a good reputation and there is also a number of faith schools that also do this...
> 
> We have therefore opted for for to do A levels - not only will this give her choices when she has finished (she will be able to go to university in england - if there is any system remaining! - New Zealand and Australia (she has NZ residency) A levels are well respected at Auckland University....so no problem there.
> 
> The bigger challenge for us has been the gap between her finishing GCSE's in England and starting in NZ - her mates in the UK started before we left and now she is waiting to start school ...and so is not able to meet peers until February..which makes it hard for her.
> 
> Feel free to ask any questions Neil...we are living through the transition as we speak so have lots of insights...where will you be working? Devonport is great....


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## topcat83

atalia said:


> I was interested to read about the Alevels in some schools. Do you by chance have the names of the schools in Auckland?
> Many thanks, Maria.


Our local school - Macleans College in Bucklands Beach - certainly does Cambridge GCSEs & A Levels. And i think most of the 'higher decile' schools like Auckland Grammar do too.


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## atalia

*Cheers!*

On another note, Emmet, son wants to do the NZ film accademy course. Problem is its in Auckland, Queen Street and is Sept thro to mid October-Rugby World Cup....Would you know of any area in travelling distance by bus/train where we could rent a small apartment for those six weeks cheaply?
Thanks once again, Maria.




topcat83 said:


> Our local school - Macleans College in Bucklands Beach - certainly does Cambridge GCSEs & A Levels. And i think most of the 'higher decile' schools like Auckland Grammar do too.


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## ninjacat1

*post 16 education*



alansheffield said:


> Hi Neil
> 
> We have just made a similar move. We have just arrived with our 16 year old granddaughter. She finished her GCSE's in June and is planning to start post 16 education in Auckland this coming February. There is a syste of post 16 education - and most of it is done in individual schools (year 12 and 13). She could start University at 16 but she would need enough points and GCSE's would not give her that...We realised quite quickly that the different system in NZ would be a challenge for our granddaughter. The NZ system looks good and is well respected internationally but its very different (I think) from the Uk system. They teach a more general education in post 16 - where students have to do a wide range of subjects. we were concerned that my Granddaughter would not understand the NZ system and that this would hold her back - we also worried that as she was 'new' in the school she might struggle to make friends - as kids tend to stay in their own school to do post 16 education (although i think NZ young people are very welcoming to overseas students - its quite normal)We also visited before we came and she went to a number of schools and it became clear that there were also major cultural differences that would be hard for her to adjust to..for example all 16 and 17 year olds wear uniforms and some of them look strange to an English 16 year old - she was not keen!
> 
> What is interesting is that a number of schools do Cambridge International A levels. Some of the 'state schools' do this as well as a number of private schools. For example in Auckland there are two or three none fee paying schools who do A levels. The options are limited (usually about 6 or 7 subjects) but they are there. We also found a number of private schools - (which is what we have opted for) - there is one in the city centre - which has a good reputation and there is also a number of faith schools that also do this...
> 
> We have therefore opted for for to do A levels - not only will this give her choices when she has finished (she will be able to go to university in england - if there is any system remaining! - New Zealand and Australia (she has NZ residency) A levels are well respected at Auckland University....so no problem there.
> 
> The bigger challenge for us has been the gap between her finishing GCSE's in England and starting in NZ - her mates in the UK started before we left and now she is waiting to start school ...and so is not able to meet peers until February..which makes it hard for her.
> 
> Feel free to ask any questions Neil...we are living through the transition as we speak so have lots of insights...where will you be working? Devonport is great....


hi, 
We will be in the same situation next year when we plan to move to nz,so it is good to know that some schools do a levels. Do you live in Auckland and how are you finding the cost of living? We have read that it is expensive and wages are low. Is the private school very costly aswell? Would you ever return to the UK?
Jen


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## linbin

alansheffield said:


> Hi Neil
> 
> We have just made a similar move. We have just arrived with our 16 year old granddaughter. She finished her GCSE's in June and is planning to start post 16 education in Auckland this coming February. There is a syste of post 16 education - and most of it is done in individual schools (year 12 and 13). She could start University at 16 but she would need enough points and GCSE's would not give her that...We realised quite quickly that the different system in NZ would be a challenge for our granddaughter. The NZ system looks good and is well respected internationally but its very different (I think) from the Uk system. They teach a more general education in post 16 - where students have to do a wide range of subjects. we were concerned that my Granddaughter would not understand the NZ system and that this would hold her back - we also worried that as she was 'new' in the school she might struggle to make friends - as kids tend to stay in their own school to do post 16 education (although i think NZ young people are very welcoming to overseas students - its quite normal)We also visited before we came and she went to a number of schools and it became clear that there were also major cultural differences that would be hard for her to adjust to..for example all 16 and 17 year olds wear uniforms and some of them look strange to an English 16 year old - she was not keen!
> 
> What is interesting is that a number of schools do Cambridge International A levels. Some of the 'state schools' do this as well as a number of private schools. For example in Auckland there are two or three none fee paying schools who do A levels. The options are limited (usually about 6 or 7 subjects) but they are there. We also found a number of private schools - (which is what we have opted for) - there is one in the city centre - which has a good reputation and there is also a number of faith schools that also do this...
> 
> We have therefore opted for for to do A levels - not only will this give her choices when she has finished (she will be able to go to university in england - if there is any system remaining! - New Zealand and Australia (she has NZ residency) A levels are well respected at Auckland University....so no problem there.
> 
> The bigger challenge for us has been the gap between her finishing GCSE's in England and starting in NZ - her mates in the UK started before we left and now she is waiting to start school ...and so is not able to meet peers until February..which makes it hard for her.
> 
> Feel free to ask any questions Neil...we are living through the transition as we speak so have lots of insights...where will you be working? Devonport is great....


We are moving to Orewa and having looked at the options for our daughter she is interested in starting an apprenticeship so looking into the feasibilty of this. We have visited NZ before and decided on Orewa having visted most regions in the north island and down to Christchurch (pre earthquake) exciting but stressful times ahead!


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