Advice - moving kids from Can grade school to UK High School

We are in the process of heading to Cheshire. My daughter is 12 and my son is 5. I grew up in Cheshire but left 20 years ago. My husband and kids are Canadian. My husband was born in Hungary so will hopefully be able to enter the UK on a Hungarian passport. I would like to know if anyone has and advice on a 12 year old going from grade school into the second year of high school in the UK. I am concerned that she will be so far behind and that I should get to work now before we leave. all advice gratefully appreciated!

Hello and welcome to the board. I am not a teacher (I'm a social worker), but I spend a lot of time in schools and observe classes. If your daughter has had a good education thus far, I don't think she will have much trouble with the academic work in schools here.

From my observation, the bigger problem is that children start secondary school at the age of 11 and the social aspect is more difficult. (But since you grew up here, you probably already knew that!)

You can try looking at DfES (Department for Skills and Education) http://www.dfes.gov.uk/ or Teachernet http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/ for more info.

Good luck with the move

Hi there,

I'm a secondary English and Drama teacher and I can assure you that the biggest problem your daughter will have to deal with is not academic, but behavioural.
Because there aren't government tests in Year 8, it is usually a more relaxed year than 7, where they all enter secondary, or year 9 will all the SATS tests. In my opinion it is an ideal time for the move.
What I would be most concerned about is ensuring that her behaviour doesn't become slack. It all depends on the school she goes to, as I've taught in some fantastic schools since moving here. Ask for a meeting with the headteacher, or one of the deputy heads, tour the school, and make sure she is there with you to ask questions about the aspects of secondary school she is going to enjoy (drama, sport, clubs, etc.) If she's a bit shy, perhaps you can go over these beforehand so that you know what she'd like to find out more about.
I think that the more relaxed you are about the situation, the better it will be for her.
Best of luck with the move and finding the school that best suits your daughter.
If you have any other questions, feel free to message me.

Amaryah