I have an 11 y/o who has just moved from the US to UK in October of this year. Because she turned 11 on Sept 1st instead of Aug 31st, she had to stay in primary school one more year. I was glad of that, because it is a smaller school and I thought she would adjust easier, but she is tall for her age anyway and is by far the tallest kid in the school. Perhaps this is why we have never experienced any bullying?
Anyway, she seemed to adjust better here than any other school she's been to. (We did have a few moves in the US so she is used to adjusting, unfortunately). The little kids from the younger years think she is some sort of toy - they follow her around the playground and try and hug her or pull things out of her pockets. She has made a couple of girl friends from her year, and she seems to be settling in well. She's picked up on the spelling right away and is actually the best in her class at that. She struggles a little with the maths but she always has, so I don't see any major differences there. They are at about the same level as they were in the US, if not a little bit further ahead.
My DH enrolled our daughter before we arrived -filled out the paperwork and stuff, and they were holding a place while we were waiting for our visas. When we arrived we gave them her passport and they took a copy, and they asked for her old school records which unfortunately I packed in a suitcase that my parents planned to bring in November on their visit. So we went without those. They didn't ask for her immunizations or anything. I don't know if this is typical or if they were just lax.
Good luck getting your twins enrolled! It sounds like a lot of fun!
