pegg Posted February 13, 2018 Report Share Posted February 13, 2018 Hi all, So after a year in Perth then back to the UK ( ping pong ).......... We feel our adventures are not over. We are not settled here in the UK , we just feel restless i guess. We do fancy travelling from perth around Oz ...... But first maybe really explore Western Australia perhaps . However our son ( who really struggled in Oz ) is about to start his high school for last 2 years in prep for gcse's this september. A very important time ! So i guess im wondering should we leave this idea for 2 years - but then its A levels ? ..... Or could we home school ? and nip back to UK for final gcse exam etc ??? Just any ideas for different education methods ???? It is hard for us , as we have left part of our hearts in WA .... yet our son whos 14 really hates the idea - But we just want him to live alittle ....... i dont know ! Any thoughts or opinions please get back :o) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ema Posted February 13, 2018 Report Share Posted February 13, 2018 Hi there, these are just my own personal thoughts, obviously I could of got it entirely all wrong! My son is 14 too and we’re moving over to Perth in April. We’ve already enrolled both my boys into a secondary school. We took them on school tours in December, so they had their say in where they liked to go (after we narrowed down the choices). My son is doing his gcse’s here in the U.K at the moment and is very relieved there is no such thing over in Perth, he feels a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. I am hoping they settle well into the new school. We also picked a school which offered similar subjects that he’s doing now. So he doesn’t feel panicked having to learn Japanese, Indonesian or have school surf lessons. I’m not bothered that he won’t be taking the GCSE’s, as he is getting an equivalent education. When I moved over to England when I was a teen I went straight into college as doing GCSE equivalents, that was fine. I think my advice is to sit down and listen to your son’s concerns, his last experience of moving wasn’t a positive one for whatever that may be from, so a lot of conversations without pressure, and reassurance of it being a positive experience this time round is needed. I moved all over Australia when I was a kid, some schools were easy to go to, others were hell. So that’s really important to tell him that if he doesn’t like it, there are always options and ways to change it. My thought on the lots of traveling is that explain it’s a long holiday? Give him a time period say 3 months or whatever? It’s a really important age for them to make ties with peers and for him to feel settled and happy. Traveling a lot might make him feel isolated and lonely if it’s for a long period. We all like creature comforts as well as the opportunity to explore. I wouldn’t leave the move until his A levels, he’ll probably have a girlfriend by then and looking at Uni’s! I wish you the very best with it all, I understand how difficult it must be for you and hope there is some advice in there which might help. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pegg Posted February 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2018 Hey thanks Ema , really nice advice thankyou. Yes , we are just trying to soften the experience for him ..... Its such a hard age and so important to his education , We do not want to screw his life up. My wife's job is still secure - So it may be better to find somewhere and settle, perhaps leave the travelling across Oz for a couple of years. anyhow, thanks again Ema 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted February 14, 2018 Report Share Posted February 14, 2018 22 hours ago, Ema said: Hi there, these are just my own personal thoughts, obviously I could of got it entirely all wrong! My son is 14 too and we’re moving over to Perth in April. We’ve already enrolled both my boys into a secondary school. We took them on school tours in December, so they had their say in where they liked to go (after we narrowed down the choices). My son is doing his gcse’s here in the U.K at the moment and is very relieved there is no such thing over in Perth, he feels a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. I am hoping they settle well into the new school. We also picked a school which offered similar subjects that he’s doing now. So he doesn’t feel panicked having to learn Japanese, Indonesian or have school surf lessons. I’m not bothered that he won’t be taking the GCSE’s, as he is getting an equivalent education. When I moved over to England when I was a teen I went straight into college as doing GCSE equivalents, that was fine. I think my advice is to sit down and listen to your son’s concerns, his last experience of moving wasn’t a positive one for whatever that may be from, so a lot of conversations without pressure, and reassurance of it being a positive experience this time round is needed. I moved all over Australia when I was a kid, some schools were easy to go to, others were hell. So that’s really important to tell him that if he doesn’t like it, there are always options and ways to change it. My thought on the lots of traveling is that explain it’s a long holiday? Give him a time period say 3 months or whatever? It’s a really important age for them to make ties with peers and for him to feel settled and happy. Traveling a lot might make him feel isolated and lonely if it’s for a long period. We all like creature comforts as well as the opportunity to explore. I wouldn’t leave the move until his A levels, he’ll probably have a girlfriend by then and looking at Uni’s! I wish you the very best with it all, I understand how difficult it must be for you and hope there is some advice in there which might help. Not wanting to burst your son's bubble, but whilst there's no GCSE's, if he choses ATAR subjects (the ones needed to get into Uni), there are still exams and a lot of pressure in that final year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ema Posted February 15, 2018 Report Share Posted February 15, 2018 Hi Ali, yes the atar, we are fully aware, and he knows he’s not off the hook?. That comes after the GCSE’s, in A level exams equivalent, but knows he needs to choose some options for those when he starts over there for year 9, he’s in Uk yr 10 atm. Basically he still knows he has to work his backside off, good job he’s my clever one! ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted February 17, 2018 Report Share Posted February 17, 2018 ATAR is kind of GCSE's and A levels combined (if you're looking for an equivalent). The courses are over 2 years and the subjects are chosen in year 10 (to study in year 11 and 12). Your best 4 ATAR subjects are taken to give you a score which the Universities use for entry. some Uni's used to have a lower ATAR for general Entry, some courses e.g. medicine, vets, require ATARS of 99. With the exception of UWA which has a higher minimum entry ATAR of 80, the other Uni's are 70 (I think) for general entry. Notre Dame holds interviews. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ema Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 Hi Ali, thanks for the info, very insightful x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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