Choosing a school when you may move again

When a family expects to move again, the choice of school is also a choice about the next one. A school has to suit the child now, and the child has to be able to carry on without a break when the family relocates.

Why the curriculum matters more than the school's name

A child who changes curriculum at each move has to adjust to new content, new expectations and a new way of being assessed. A child who stays within one curriculum can usually continue where they left off. For mobile families, the curriculum is often the most important part of the decision.

Ask which curriculum a school follows at each stage, not only what its name suggests.

Cambridge

Cambridge International Education is offered by more than 10,000 schools in 160 countries. Its programmes run from primary school to A Level: Cambridge Primary, Cambridge Lower Secondary, Cambridge IGCSE at upper secondary, and Cambridge International AS and A Level.

Cambridge states that students moving between Cambridge schools can continue their studies following the same curriculum. This is clearest in the examined years. A Cambridge IGCSE or International AS and A Level syllabus is the same wherever it is taught. IGCSE examinations are set and marked by Cambridge, and examinations are held in June and November, with an additional March series in India.

In the primary and lower secondary years, schools have more flexibility. Cambridge describes these programmes as designed to be combined with national curricula, and schools choose which subjects to offer.

The International Baccalaureate

The IB's programmes are offered by more than 6,200 schools in over 160 countries: the Primary Years Programme, the Middle Years Programme, the Diploma Programme and the Career-related Programme.

The Diploma Programme, for students aged 16 to 19, is the same from school to school, and most courses are assessed by examination. The IB itself notes that the subjects available will vary between schools, so a student who moves during the Diploma may need to change a subject or, where the new school supports it, take one online.

The Primary and Middle Years Programmes are frameworks. In the Primary Years Programme, each school develops its own programme of inquiry. In the Middle Years Programme, teachers set and mark assessment against the IB's criteria, and external assessment by the IB is optional. A move between IB schools at these stages keeps the approach to learning, but the content may differ.

What the host country adds

Many countries require schools to teach some national subjects alongside an international curriculum. In Dubai, for example, the school regulator requires, from the 2025-26 school year, Arabic as an additional language for non-Arab students from Grade 1 to Grade 9 (Year 2 to Year 10), Islamic Education for Muslim students, and Moral, Social and Cultural Studies for non-Arab students from Grade 1 to Grade 9. These are taught in addition to the Cambridge, IB or English curriculum, and they differ from one country to another.

Ask each school which national subjects it teaches, to whom, and how much time they take.

The points in a child's education where a move matters most

The two-year examination courses are the most sensitive: IGCSE in Years 10 and 11, and A Level or the IB Diploma in Years 12 and 13. A move during one of these courses can mean a change of subject, a different combination of options, or a gap where the new school does not offer what the child has been studying. Where a move is possible, plan subject choices with the next school in mind.

Questions to ask a school

1. Which curriculum do you follow at each stage, and which examinations do students take?
2. Which subjects and options do you offer at IGCSE, A Level or IB Diploma, and how often do they change?
3. Which national subjects are compulsory here, and for which students?
4. How do you place a student arriving mid-course from another Cambridge or IB school?
5. How many students join and leave each year, and how do you help them settle?

How Education Options can help

We advise families moving to another country, returning home or choosing between curricula, and we compare schools against the child's current curriculum and the family's likely next move.

Read about our advice for families or request a complimentary consultation.