Discussions

Hello All,

Susan Hamlyn, Director of the Good Schools Guide Advice Service (GSGAS) www.gsgexpertschoolsconsultants.co.uk here.

Doc Trina – you have my sympathies! It’s a real conundrum and we deal with loads of people in your situation. The answer usually is to try and find a new home in an area with as many good schools as possible so that wherever the council, in its wisdom, offers you places, none of them would be unacceptable. We at The GSGAS now have a State School Service www.gsgexpertschoolsconsultants.co.uk/the-state-school-service - do take a look and get in touch if you’d like help.

Griselda - it’s always awkward when you are coming from an education system which runs to a different calendar but, in general, the IGCSEs will matter to a sixth form more than his age and I doubt whether anyone will take him on the strength of predictions rather than actual grades. If he has a number of impressive modules or c/w grades already that could help but IGCSEs, of course, tend not to incorporate too many of these. Best would be to approach individual schools and put the case to them but I’m sure that this is what you would hear from any reputable school or college. Do get in touch with us if you would like expert help. We have three very experienced advisors who are used to helping families coming in from different overseas education systems - www.gsgexpertschoolsconsultants.co.uk/about-us/who-we-are .


JanR – if this is for schools for Easter 2013 you need to get moving. Whether or not the children need tutoring depends on their ages, how they’ve been doing at school so far and the academic profiles of the schools you might be considering. I have recently recruited to the GSGAS team a recently retired prep school head www.gsgexpertschoolsconsultants.co.uk/about-us/who-we-are .
who’d be a brilliant advisor for you so do get in touch if you’d like us to help.

We are looking for advice on state schools as we will be moving to the UK next year. My daughters will be 5 (turning 5 Aug 2013) and 1. The problem is we don't have a UK address. People have told us to leap in and sort out housing first, but we don't want to rent or buy anything until we know what school they will get into. It's a chicken and egg situation and we don't know where to start.

We are moving to the UK next August. My son is currently at school in Singapore and is due to sit IGCSEs in December 2013. However we would like him to start sixth form in England three months earlier, in September 2013. If he doesn't do that, he would have to wait around for months until Sept 2014 to start A level course. Please can you advise? Will English independent schools take him into sixth form before he's taken IGCSEs? Thank you.

Just came across your website. We are indeed moving to London, but not from overseas. We're moving down from Hartlepool. We have two primary school children who have always been in a state school but owing to my husband's new job, we're considering private schooling. We're trying not to get over-anxious about finding a school in London but it's not working to well! We're assuming we should start having the children tutored now? We'll be moving around Easter. Help!