lapin_windstar

1) According to this, "independent schools" (not Catholic, not government) got 41% of the funding from the government in 2008: http://www.isca.edu.au/html/funding_main.htm

2) That same page says that there are some "independent" Catholic schools. I haven't come across them (but I haven't been searching or anything). As far as I know, all the Catholic schools I've noticed have been run by the three Catholic Education Offices in Sydney. I have no idea how or if the level of funding changes.

northernbird

I have a foot in both camps to be honest and feel that things could be better here. I believe kids start school far to early in the UK and that we push our primary kids far too hard. That is my opinion of course. On the whole I don't believe my kids are that far behind their similar aged cousins in the UK. I took a peek at my 11 year old nephews English homework and my 8 year old could have done it with no problem at all so her school here in Perth must be doing something right.

I hope things are as you expect when you finally get to Australia.

sr71

Does it really matter which is better?

If you move to Australia your kids will be taught the same as Australian kids, sit the important Australian exams at secondary school, go through the Australian University entrance criteria and end up with an Australian degree.

And Australians have absolutely zero problem in being successful when they go overseas and compete on the world stage - so as long as the end product is good, who really cares whether they are ahead at 7 years old or not.

NKSK version 2

Some are but it is difficult to quantify how many are and how many are not. Even more so to compare with other countries.

lapin_windstar

Not necessarily, they won't! The picture you're painting isn't the universal experience of Australian schoolkids - and even if it were, their ability to compete in a global market is hampered by e.g. the poor attitude to languages in Australian schools.

sr71

And how many British schools teach Mandarin or Hindi?

I work for a global company, lack of languages is not a hindrance, vast majority of executive are not multilingual.

PaulandNic

Sports sports sports!

Amazulu

My son's school teaches Mandarin - the language of his future.

PoppetUK

Absolutely. The pressure of doing this outside of school when I have two other little ones to consider and the fact that my dd is tired at the end of the day is not fair. I want to be mum not teacher. Thankfully only 1 more week until her teacher leaves on maternity leave and doesn't destroy anymore kids confidence by ripping stickers off charts, putting work in the bin and sending reading books home one night at level 12 and another at 23!!! I should have moved her when I had concerns in week 7 term 1 and she was going back over her single sounds!!!.......

evelyn oneill

Please tell me more about your move back - i thinking the same - let me know how it all went - my husband loves it here but its the ducation system that may make our decision to return.

PoppetUK

Please please tell me more to. Hubbies new job is going great but I am so concerned about the education I am thinking of getting on a flight to make the start of the new school year........

PoppetUK

Evelyn oneill. Where abouts are you? NOR / SOR or right in Perth... What ages are your kids??

HelenTD

How about my youngest: he tells me that kids have to go to the teacher one by one, if their drawing is good enough it goes on the board, if not it goes in the bin and they do it again. He has taken the mickey out of my shy child's little voice, made the whole class laugh and my child ends up crying (and too scared to ever try a speech again). He has had a go at my child's accent and another's in the class, accents a little too British for his liking. In Term 1 & 2 this teacher had the kids on a rewards chart, if they got enough marks, they would be allowed to go on the excursion. As it happens, half the kids couldn't go on the excursion anyway because of height and age restrictions, so the smallest and youngest had been working their guts out for an excursion out of bounds to them anyway. An alternative excursion was arranged for them and it's the only one they've been on all year, BTW.

evelyn oneill

I know what your saying Mark it all boils down to whats important for each individual or for that family - and one thing you are right about my children will compete much more for jobs when they leave school or Uni in the UK - i have to weigh up their loss of culture and identity and lack of a good education if we stay here.
Teachers in WA have stated that we have left one of the best education sysytems in the world to come here - i just wish i'd known - xx

PoppetUK

Ahhhhhh. Give him a big hug for me. Teacher needs locking up, thats verbal abuse and bullying. Probably doesn't really that his behaviour will also set your child up for playground bullying. Great role model not