A-level options

My daughter will have just turned 17 when I arrive in the U.K. in July. I couldn't drum up a worse possible time, schoolwise. She's planning to graduate a year early from her American high school and then do A-levels in England. We seem to be faced with two options: either put her back a year so that she'll start the two-year A-level course with 16 year-olds (which she's not dead set against), or do an accelerated one-year A-level course at City of Bath College. Anyone know anything about these fast track A-level courses? She's a good student and pretty self-motivated, if that makes any difference.

She's also delighted about this move and is happy about going to uni in the U.K., which is a huge help!

If she's at a college, the age thing won't matter all that much.  Really.  There will be loads of kids doing all sorts of different things.  And a lot of the kids will start turning 17 in September and the rest will have their birthdays through out the year, so in fact she won't be more than a few months older and no one would notice. My daughter (16 in June) is doing a two year A level course at a college and she LOVES it. 

Is there any reason why if she has her high school diploma they wont just let her go onto University?
I am still trying to understand the whole schooling system my daughter is in year 8 but goes to a college with 6th form, college is just the term they are now calling what we would refer to as junior or senior high schools. As far as transfering she more than likely wouldnt be behind in any subjects except for foreign language so I am confused why your daughter would have to take what is equivelent to her junior and senior year over again here.

Not necessarily true.....not all colleges..the one here children under 14 aren't allowed..my youngest (14) has started her GCSE course this year and my other one that is 17 didn't do well on it and is taking the course again at the college...........

If she's at a college, the age thing won't matter all that much.  Really.  There will be loads of kids doing all sorts of different things.  And a lot of the kids will start turning 17 in September and the rest will have their birthdays through out the year, so in fact she won't be more than a few months older and no one would notice. My daughter (16 in June) is doing a two year A level course at a college and she LOVES it. 

Thanks, Mindy. That's encouraging. Can I ask you a couple more questions? Why did your daughter opt for a college for A-levels instead of a sixth-form? By college do you mean an exclusively sixth-form college or something like a city college? And which subjects has she opted to study?

And while I have you, you may be able to address another quandry we're in... Our older son will have just finished his freshman year here in the states when we move to England. (The second worst possible bit of timing!) He is really resistent to moving back a year to start the GCSE course from the beginning (although it would probably do him a world of good as his birthday is 3 days before the cutoff). I'm just worried he will struggle if he jumps into the two-year GCSE course midway. Is this even a conceivable option? In the end, he'll have to go with our decision, but we'll have to pursuade him to see it our way if he's going to go in there with the right attitude.

Hi-- my daughter is 15 now and will be completing her GCSE's this year-- we are currently looking into both sixth forms and colleges. College here is not university, it is a place where you can do A level or Vocational trainings or GCSE's if you struggled in high school. We moved here a year ago so we were lucky that it was the beginning of the GCSE years for her. I personally think it would be very very difficult for your son to come in the second year of GCSE's. A big part of them is course work that they complete during the two years, in fact in some subjects in my daughter's school they started a bit the year before. She has to stay after a school occasionally to catch up on the Science course work that she missed before moving here. She has adjusted amazingly well and is predicted to get A's or A*'s in all of her 9 GCSEs but I really can't imagine how difficult it would have been to come in a year into it. The good news is if your son ends up "going back a year" he will still be in year 10 which sounds like the 10th grade which he would be in if he stayed in the states .

Good Luck with all your decisions---I know worrying about my daughters schooling was the most stressful part of the move.

Helena

Thanks, this is all helpful. I agree, my son would have a hard time adjusting and catching up if he jumped in halfway through. And he'd only be a few days older than some of the kids if he starts back a year. I've stressed to the kids that A-levels is a new, more grown-up phase anyway, focusing on your stengths or interests and with a little more independence--so it won't be the same as five years of high school.  I'm glad to hear your 15 year-old is doing so well. How old was she when you moved here?

Yes, the kid-moving is the big concern. Everything else is small potatoes. Our youngest will be turning four around the time we arrive. How much easier that transition will be! He'll just start from the beginning.

Thanks, Mindy. That's encouraging. Can I ask you a couple more questions? Why did your daughter opt for a college for A-levels instead of a sixth-form? By college do you mean an exclusively sixth-form college or something like a city college? And which subjects has she opted to study?

She's at a sixth-form college which specializes in A-levels.  She's taking Politics, Modern History, English Lit and Philosophy. 

She actually had three options:staying at school, going a mainly A-level college eight miles away, or a local college. 

She mainly chose the college she attends because they had the options she wanted, but there was a little more to it than that.  She wanted to get away from school and all the school rules and teachers that she'd known for six years.  Also, while she had freinds at school, there wasn't anyone who really shared her interests(indy music and fashion).  And they didn't have as many options. 
She liked the fact that the shop and canteen at college is open all day, that students can leave the college on their free time, and there's a more grown up atmosphere.  She didn't want to go to the local college because although it does do A-levels it's specialty is more vo-tech type stuff(hair dressing and construction).  Plus there's more parent involvement at the college she chose, but not quite school level. 
We worried about the distance, but she's done really well getting herself up and to college on the bus.  In fact she's become so independent in the last few months-going out, working at Sainsburys, getting to college-that we're convinced we made the right decision.

And while I have you, you may be able to address another quandry we're in... Our older son will have just finished his freshman year here in the states when we move to England. (The second worst possible bit of timing!) He is really resistent to moving back a year to start the GCSE course from the beginning (although it would probably do him a world of good as his birthday is 3 days before the cutoff). I'm just worried he will struggle if he jumps into the two-year GCSE course midway. Is this even a conceivable option? In the end, he'll have to go with our decision, but we'll have to pursuade him to see it our way if he's going to go in there with the right attitude.

truthfully, I would think this would be the bigger problem than A-levels.  They say that GCSE's are more work.  There're a lot more subjects to cover and the course work is hard going.  I'd almost think the school wouldn't let him start in year two, and I'd really advise against it.  There's so much material to cover.  Besides if he doesn't do well, he'd have to redo them, which would be much worse than starting a year behind.