Moving abroad Before You Go: Recommended Reading

Parenting and Third Culture Kids

Raising Global Nomads: Parenting Abroad in an On-Demand World
by Robin Pascoe

The author examines the challenges of parenting abroad, shares hard lessons learned, and recounts--with honesty and her trademark humour--what worked for her family.

Going Back Home

Repatriation, the Art of Returning Wisely
by Jill Kristal, PhD, and Liz Perelstein for School Choice International

An informative booklet with explanations and ideas for returning home.

Wives Abroad: Now and Through History

Daughters of Britannia: The Lives and Times of Diplomatic Wives
by Katie Hickman

300 years of untold stories of women in the British diplomatic corps - sisters, wives, daughters - whose letters and journals weren't usually considered worthy of official archiving. Yet they were the ones who hauled entire households across the world, at their own expense, to set up the mission at each new post. They braved disease, war, leaving children behind never to be seen again, sometimes not seeing another woman who spoke their language for years at a time; in fact sometimes not seeing people outside their homes for years except through items handed through a fire in the front hall so as to avoid the Bubonic plague outside. A must-read for all expatriates anywhere.

Reading (or Watching!) Your Way to...

Africa

Half a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Botswana

Far and Beyon' by Unity Dow

The Heavens May Fall by Unity Dow

A Marriage of Inconvenience by Michael Dutfield

Maru by Bessie Head

Memoirs of an African Democrat by Quett Ketumile Masire and Stephen R. Lewis, Jr.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Seretse and Ruth by Wilf and Trish Mbanga

Seretse Khama 1921-1980 by Neil Parsons, Willie Henderson, and Thomas Tlou

When Rain Clouds Gather by Bessie Head

China

The White Swan

Egypt

Living in the Sun (1967) by Souafief

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsim Hamid

The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany (also available on DVD)

France

Etre Avoir (film)

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky

Hong Kong

Gweilo: Memories of a Hong Kong Childhood by Martin Booth

Mao by Jung Change and John Halliday

India

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Jordan

Art of Jordan by Piotr Bienkowski (editor)

The old Fodors Guide by Eugene Fodor

Insight Guide to Jordan by Dorothy Stannard (editor), APA Publications

Jordan by Ken Mizuuchi

Last Act in Palmyra by Lindsey Davis

The Lonely Planet Guide

Films:

The Battle for Haditha

The Holy Family (GSGI Editor Edwina Issa is in it!)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Lawrence of Arabia

Mission to Mars

The Mummy Returns

Passion in the Desert

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Redacted

Sinbad and the Dark Nights/Eye of the Tiger (for children)

Shanghai

The Good Women of China by Xinran

My Favourite Wife by Tony Parsons

Shanghai Baby by Zhou Wei Hui

Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds by David Pollock and Ruth Van Reken

Time Out Shanghai by Time Out Guides Ltd.

Published 11th Oct 2016 by Harriet Plyler

Updated 26th Jul 2017

Special Needs introduction

Some special needs are easy to spot, others are only determined once a child has experienced considerable difficulties, frustrations or social and emotional problems. Over the years, diagnosis of and provision for SEN have improved, but both can still be a minefield. Identifying different kinds of special educational needs Few children fit a condition perfectly – if they do, we tend to say they are a ‘classic’ case. Most will not be straightforward: perhaps a dyslexic with dyspraxia and a touch of ADD, or a child with ASD who also has Down’s syndrome. Just as special needs are hard to…
The Good Schools Guide online subscription

Find the best school for your child. One month subscription - £0.49 per day Three month subscription - £0.41 per day Six month subscription - £0.33 per day One year subscription - £0.29 per day Register for instant access to: ☑ Search for more than 30000 schools in our parent friendly interactive directory. ☑ Create and save lists of schools via My Schools. ☑ Use our comparison grid to get an exam results overview of schools you are interested in. ☑ Find comprehensive advice on state and independent schools, tutors and special needs. ☑ Receive our monthly newsletter. For further…
Finding a state grammar school

Counties such as Kent or Buckinghamshire are ‘selective authorities’ and most families will have at least one grammar school close to where they live. Elsewhere, for example in Reading or Kingston-on-Thames, there are just one or two grammar schools and competition for places at these is ferocious. How to find a state grammar school Grammar schools are located in 36 English local authorities. Almost half of these are considered 'selective authorities' (eg Kent and Buckinghamshire), where around one in five local children are selected for grammar school entry based on ability. The others are areas such as Barnet or Kingston,…
Schools for children with performing arts talents

As proud parents, we all know our children are unique. They're smarter than anyone else's, funnier, certainly more attractive, better behaved and above all bursting with the kind of talent that would leave Daniel Radcliffe, Jamie Bell and Charlotte Church standing. And for some extraordinary - though totally understandable - reason, everyone but us seems blind to our offspring's God-given artistic gifts.
Education Consultants

The Good Schools Guide Education Consultants advise parents on everything to do with children and their education Our service is a personal one-to-one service.You tell us what you want and we tell you how we can help. And then we do! Our education consultants are our most experienced writers. They have visited countless schools. All are parents. You will have your own personal advisor who has the benefit of the combined experience and expertise of the entire team to draw on. All our consultants work as hard for the children of their clients as they do for their own. Call…

Subscribe for instant access to in-depth reviews, data and catchment:

☑ 30000 Independent, state and special schools in our parent friendly interactive directory.
☑ School exam results by subject and performance GCSE, Alevel or equivalent.
☑ Which schools pupils come from and go onto.
☑ Honest, opinionated and fearless independent reviews of more than 1200+ schools.
☑ Comprehensive catchment maps for English state schools inc. year of entry.
☑ School data comparison by A/B weighted, relative success and popularity.
☑ Compare schools by qualities and results.
☑ Independent tutor company reviews.