Journal
Thoughtful guidance on schools, moving to Scotland, and private tuition, from Michael Rothwell.
Moving to Scotland
This is why I would choose the school and academic pathway together, rather than choose the school first and only afterwards ask how the qualifications work.
Read articleSchools & Admissions
I would start with the child.
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Entrance preparation should leave a child better educated at the end of it, whether or not the application succeeds.
Read articleMoving to Scotland
The sensible starting point is therefore the pupil rather than a conversion table.
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Before comparing Scottish schools, I would establish exactly which curriculum the pupil is following, which qualifications are already underway and whether the move is intended to be permanent.
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A pupil arriving before those courses begin has more room to adapt. A pupil arriving in the middle of senior-secondary study needs a subject-by-subject plan.
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The first question is therefore not where the family is moving from. It is what the child is studying now.
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Changing school system just before an important board examination may involve substantial repetition or missed content. The receiving school should map the pupil’s subjects before a place is accepted.
Read articlePrivate Tuition
Tuition is useful when it solves a real problem.
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I would look for four things: subject knowledge, teaching judgement, fit, and professionalism.
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The model I find most sensible is therefore not “one tutor must teach everything”. It is “one person can hold the wider academic picture, while specialists are used where they genuinely add something”.
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