From the US to Gloucestershire

[TraffordMum]

had to chuckle at first one on page 29 (UK version)

UK: comprehensive, US: public school

That one always makes me smile.

We found out because we had a holiday (vacation) in America and my eldest left her copy of Order of the Phoenix on the plane and spent 2 days copiously weeping until we took her to a Barnes & Noble and bought the US version. Since she'd already read the book about 29857 times already and knew it off by heart and back to front, we then suffered through the rest of the holiday as she listed all the differences.

I remember the funniest one was where the US version used the word satsuma where the English book used walnut.

[thisandthat]

Thanks for all the advice. Wow, I hadn't thought at all about American versions of books. I know all his HPs were bought in the US. He's also read Alice in Wonderland. I wonder if they've done anything to that!
I'm really appreciating all the info and links coming in. DS is pretty good at Math, but his big thing is language - at least I won't have any problems getting him to read more.
On the positive side I tried him out on a timed NFER paper (VR Paper 3B) last night - I see the difference now between the realistic papers and Pate's practice questions - he got 85%. If I'm reading things right, then that's not bad for a start is it? Still feeling very new to this.
Please let me know if you come up with anything else. Thanks

[Alice in Underland]

Hi, I am that Mum previously mentioned.

My kids were educated in the US from grades K to 6. One is now at a Gloucestershire Grammar and the other will start in September 2011. They are both about a year in advance of their peer group here on most topics and ironically have had a much better grounding in English language in the USA.

DD took the eleven plus while living in the USA. We bought test papers on Amazon.co.uk and practiced at home. No formal tutoring.
Vocabulary - yes in the NVR tests we found all kind of odd, English, Christian middle class words eg "Steeple, vicar, pulpit, rounders, First XV, bowler hat" ! We did lots and lots of reading and discussed how to eliminate the unlikely options even if the DC didn't understand what the word meant, they could usually increase the odds of making a correct guess.

They have both coped with the transition to English schools very well. Both were minor celebrities for a few weeks but now the novelty has worn off ..........

Much depends on which State and town you have been living in but the British state schools I have seen are very mediocre in terms of facilities, sport, class size, discipline and teachers skills and enthusiasm when compared to the USA. Much of this is due to the "mend and make do"mentality of British government at all levels, and the terrible stifling effects of the National Curriculum. I cannot speak for the private schools as I have no experience of them.

I will send you a PM with my contact info so we can discuss details.

[thisandthat]

Hi
Just wanted to thank everyone, especially Alice in Underland, and by giving you an update, ask a bit more advice along the way.

Everything this side of the pond has been going way faster than we expected. We move out of our house next Monday, and to England mid May. We don't know where we will be spending the first few months but hopefully it will be either in, or close to Gloucestershire, as we have decided that is where we want to live. We're also aware that to enter DS for the 11+ we need a permanent address by September.

Anyway, onto 11+ progress. Firstly, I have to say that the fact we receive results so soon after the test, is amazing! DS is still very motivated, but my concern now is that he may have 'peaked' too soon. Since starting the Walsh test papers he has scored in the 90s each time, and has become used to timing etc. I don't know what to think. In February I thought we were possibly too late starting this whole shinanigans, and now I'm the opposite. He's been doing two papers a week, and to be honest after the first few weeks I haven't 'tutored' him at all. That makes me feel strange too. Shouldn't I be doing something beyond giving him papers to do? We do check over mistakes he's made, but it doesn't feel like I'm doing much/enough. Did/do any of you feel like this? I'm wondering if it's partly because only VR is used. Anyway, all the kids have been trying out their 'British English', and learnt to pronounce 'tomatoes' properly today:)

We can't wait. So looking forward to the pub.

[hermanmunster]

Glad everything is going well - some of us gave our kids zilch (ooo that sounds like I've crossed the pond ) to do and they were still OK, some are OK with just familiarisation. sounds like the more English english he can do the better.... vocab - sentence structure (it is different sometimes isn't it) - pronunciation etc etc

[thisandthat]

Yes. I think the sooner we reach england the better - and not only for the pub! Just being in an English environment is bound to help. We had hoped to put the kids in school for a few weeks before the summer holidays but unfortunately as our initial residence won't be a permanent address, we probably won't be able to get them a school place before September. If anyone has any knowledge/info that can help on this, please let me know. (Sorry this is a bit off 11+ topic)

[hermanmunster]

agreed would be great if they were in school for a few weeks before the summer - good way to meet other kids too. I once went to a primary school for about 6 weeks, long time ago and parents just contacted the head of the school (relatives were there) and I just joined the class... more complex now I suspect. Do you know which area you will be renting in ? Can you contact the LEA and ask about places - I think they have to try and find a place if you are in their area - even at that stage of the year

[wheezybird]

We returned from the US in 2008, having spent 2 years away. DD1 sat 11+ in the US, passed for SHS, but didn't take up place, for reasons unrelated to this post.

Re your point about addresses - I'm not sure that you need a permanent UK address to register for the 11+. We used the address of the rental we had in the US. The grammar schools don't have a catchment area as such, so it didn't matter. What you DO need is a permanent UK address in the catchment area of whatever school you want (if not a grammar), at a particular date. We fell foul of this rule, because although we kept our house in the UK, we were not actually resident in it on the date in question (can't remember when it was, but Shire Hall will tell you). That meant that technically we were "out of area", and therefore would only be allocated a place AFTER all the "in area" children had been allocated.

The upshot was that we got a random allocation, and had to appeal to get DD1 into the school that she would have gone to had we not gone to the US, and in whose catchment area we had lived for 10 years.

Residency was defined as being physically present at an address in catchment on the date in question, and being registered at a primary school, a doctor's surgery, and for child benefit, with an address within catchment. Hopefully, your son will pass the 11+, so these considerations will not apply (tho might to your other children?), but it might be worth getting an up-to-date appreciation of how it all works.

[thisandthat]

Yes. I think this catchment area thing may be the issue. I have two other children, also Primary school age, that makes all three looking for a spot, preferably in the same school or an infant/junior match. We're still waiting for the relocation company to provide a list of possible temporary residences. It is taking them longer than usual, as they normally deal with people planning to live in the big cities, but we're hoping for news on it very soon.

[wheezybird]

Well, you've picked a good area for schools. I guess you're aware of Ofsted, and the school reports they publish online. Also, there's a website called Rightmove, which lists a lot of rental properties, and which you can search on by area. You could also draw search areas based on school catchments, if you were so minded. There wouldn't be any harm in telling your relo company that you are interested in a particular house, and then let them do the legwork regarding availability and contracts. We told our relo company not to bother offering us rentals in areas where the schools were not rated "excellent".

One thing to bear in mind when looking for primary schools in the Cirencester area is that some of the smaller village schools may have two grades in the same class.

Transport to school might also be an issue. Because the grammars have no catchment areas, and for many children a grammar school is an elective choice and not their nearest or catchment school, the local authority will not neccesarily provide a school bus. There are private companies which provide a service, but you'd have to research this yourself, depending on where you end up living, and which school your son goes to. There are no buses to primary schools - not like in the US. You probably know all this, being a Brit citizen, so I apologise if I'm teaching my grandmother to suck eggs.

Cirencester might be a good choice - there are buses to the Stroud and Cheltenham grammars, and some pretty decent primary schools.