Seeking stories/advice re: moving family (kids) to England

Hi, I've become addicted to this
forum in just a few hours.but in all
my readings I have not yet found any
stories of brave (crazy) canucks
relocating to England with children.
I'm looking for ANY advice (thanks
to the person who suggested packing
Advil in large containers because it
isn't sold like this in the UK). Our
daughter will be 12 when we move
next year and our son will be 6.
Looking forward to your stories.
Cheers, Sarah

This is the advice I offered another parent with children. Hope it's helpful.

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

Amaryah, just wanted to tell you that's a really nice piece of advice.