[Ruth&Mike]

Hi everyone and greetings from a cold,wet and windy Cheshire in the U.K.
This is our first post so forgive us if we have missed the question we are asking on earlier threads. (Have spent hours reading them)
We are planning to come to NZ in 08 as our eldest will have completed his GCSE's in June. I am a nurse and my husband is a Detective in the UK and he has been offered a post in NZ Cops. (If our plans work out he will fly out and do his 8 week conversion course in Wellington first and then go back North where we will fly out and meet up with him )
He has requested the Hibiscus coast area Northshore/Orewa but because of his experience may end up Auckland, if that is the case he will commute as he already travels 45 miles each way daily by car as we live in a small village and we will not live back in a city.
Anyway back to my point, both our kids want to go to Uni -the youngest will be 14 going on 37 when she comes out so will fit in to take NZ qualifications.
However the eldest will just have finished his GCSE's and is expected to do very well,(thats why we wont try and get an earlier posting) how would he fit into the NZ system, is it easy to convert them for NZ grades? Would he then go onto college till 18 and take further exams like our A levels? We have looked at a lot of web sites but cant get a straight answer, any high school teachers out there or parents been in the same boat?
Also how do teenagers fit in?, the lad is sports mad and plays soccer and cricket at a decent level we dont think he will have many problems,but the daughter is more arty crafy and would rather do a painting than the 100 meters. (Both are keen to go to NZ so that helps)

Sorry for loads of questions but we are like everyone who has been before us having a wobble every other day and thinking are we doing the right thing.

Regards

[gil]

Hi Mike and Ruth,
Not sure if this will help, but this is our experience: our 15 year-old would have been doing GCSEs in UK this May-June 07, but we came out in November 06, so she is enrolled to start college (high school years 10-13) in Feb. She will do the Cambridge International GCSEs, and here they do the course in one year, so she simply starts Year 11 again and does the whole course with everyone else in the same boat. She will then do the Cambridge International AS levels in Year 12 and A2s in Year 13.
If the school had not offered Cambridge qualifications, she would have started Year 11 again to begin NCEA Level 1 and then progressed to Levels 2 and 3 in Years 12 and 13 for university entry.

Bear in mind the academic year runs Feb-Dec here, not Sept-July, so wherever you decide to live, you will need to discuss your son's needs with the school. They may suggest he joins Year 12 mid-way through the year, or may suggest he goes back to Year 11 to be with his peers. It's good to make contact early with the school and talk through your situation. We did it all by email, so it was less daunting when we actually arrived as they already "knew" us.
I would point out that there is heated debate here regading the NCEA qualifications, I really don't know that much about it, but it seems to be regarded as not worth much by some, as it doesn't offer gradings, just a pass/fail with words like merit and achievment thrown in, but no-one seems to know what those mean in terms of what has actually be achieved. I do know that kids with NCEA go on to uni just as successfully as those who did the "old" NZ qualification or the Cambridge ones.

Imogen's college offers both NCEA and Cambridge. It seemed that she was expected to do Cambridge partly because of her reports/records of achievement and partly because she's come from UK, and they have found UK students adapt easily to the CIGCSE.

Well I don't know if that will help at all, but that's what we have found. If you want to PM me for more info, please feel free,

All the best with the move,

Gil

[veronica]

can't help with the school side of things but the fact that both kids want to come out is positive and with your lad being sports mad then thats a plus.

Most kids who want to fit in will manage wherever., and if you pick your daughters school with regard to her art then she is bound to find others of an artistic bent.

I wouldn't get to wobbly about the idea as with both you and your husbands job I would think you would have guarenteed employment in any country and if you don't settle here it would be easy to get a job elsewhere or back home. the thing is once you get an idea like emigrating its best to follow it through or spend the rest of your life wondering and with a nasty case of the what ifs.

there are one or two other police persons that have written on the forum. Might help if you do a search for that and contact them directly for any other job related info they may have. can't remember if any are here already though.

[gil]

Oh, and I forgot to mention, she is VERY arty and is thrilled that she only has to do English, Maths and PE plus three options (Art, French and History), so no physics or geography! Her chosen sport is Badminton, the least of the sporting evils as she sees it, although she wilted slightly on hearing that the badminton teacher came fourth in the commonwealth games :D

Gil

[Ruth&Mike]

Thanks Gil you have assisted us more on this thread with true life experience
than dozens of websites we have looked at. :cheers
If others can assist please post your time is appreciated.

Thanks for advice re the wobble Veronica we keep saying exactly what you have said to us.
However re changing countries it seems such a massive step just doing it this once :uhoh
We are in our 40s and it is our last chance to move as a family unit, if we leave it any longer the kids will have started to make their own way in life, and i would not move away to the other side of the world from them..... if they want to return to the UK or go off in a few years then so be it.
Also seeing my OH's face during the fitness run up and down Pall Mall for selection re NZ Police, reminded us the mind might think your young but as the body gets older it gets its own ideas. :D
Regards

[Tia Maria]

I'll keep this short as its school holidays and the kids are calling!

There seems to be quite a few opportunities for more arts based activities on the North Shore. Music in particular is really encouraged in children, with our local senior school - Takapuna Grammar, constantly producing bands which go on to play nationally and internationally.

http://www.takapuna.school.nz/files/generic.asp?MenuID=4&PageID=350

(check out the rest of their website for a look at what schools can offer)

But also the arts are encouraged to the extent that children often show their work in galleries. Check this out:

http://www.depotartspace.co.nz/exhibitions.html

In amongst all the adult exhibitions is Summer age 13, with her photography.

Also this, from Nov 2006:

http://www.nzsculptureonshore.co.nz/Page.php?page=2

A sculpture exhibition where children from different schools were encouraged to produce something.

I'm not saying every school on the Shore will do everything, but the opportunities are there if she wants to pursue them.

Cheers

Tia

[gil]

Good idea Tia, here's the link to Macleans http://www.macleans.school.nz/
Enjoy!

Gil

[Ruth&Mike]

Thanks Tia/Gil

[Andy-Dee]

Where in Cheshire are you??
Dee

[Ruth&Mike]

Andy, PM'd you.