Most school moves are very manageable with good planning. A move during the exam years needs a bit more care.

The reason is simple. GCSE, IGCSE, A level and IB Diploma courses are usually taught over two years, and schools choose their own exam boards and specifications. Even in the same subject, the content and the way it’s assessed can differ. A student who changes school halfway through may find that topics have been taught in a different order, that coursework or practical work doesn’t carry over neatly, or that a subject isn’t offered at all.

None of this makes a move impossible. It just means the details matter.

If you have any say over timing

The natural transition points are usually the easiest. Moving before GCSE courses begin lets a child start their options at the new school. Moving at the start of the Sixth Form means everyone is beginning new courses together, and it’s often the point at which students choose between A levels and the IB Diploma. It isn’t always possible to time a move this way, but if the date has any flexibility, it’s worth considering.

If the move falls mid-course

Then the questions become more specific:

  1. Which exam boards and specifications does the new school use? Compare them subject by subject with the current school.
  2. Can your child keep their current combination of subjects? A school may offer a subject but not in a combination that fits its timetable.
  3. What happens to work already done? Ask how coursework, practicals or other assessed pieces will be treated.
  4. How will gaps be filled? A good school will have a clear plan for a student who has covered things in a different order.
  5. Where will the exams be sat? Occasionally it makes sense to sit them somewhere in particular, and this is worth checking early with both schools.

For students moving at sixteen, the choice between A levels and the IB Diploma may come up for the first time. The things to weigh are much the same as for younger children: depth or breadth, what they might study afterwards, and which route gives them the strongest application. There is just less time to change course later.

Listen to your teenager

Students moving in the exam years should be part of the decision. Their subjects, their friendships and their sense of what they can manage all matter. A plan they believe in is far more likely to work than one that has been chosen for them.

If you’re facing a move at this stage and would like to talk it through, you can get in touch with Elizabeth.