Visit NSW school before enrolling - mission impossible
Apr 30th 2017, 7:42 am
#31
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 706
Re: Visit NSW school before enrolling - mission impossible
Sadly, private schools and their much vaunted network are not merely a truckload of tosh as most of us inclined toward egalitarianism would like to admit.
As much as I'd hate to admit it, I've been the beneficiary of having the right "mates" from the right "network" (read: school) at the right time. Except in my case, it was at a tertiary/post graduate level and not at primary or secondary/high school - but I would hazard a guess that the same ties that worked so well in my favor would have been forged with the same fervor even at primary or secondary/high school days.
I'd be the first to admit - if not for the confidence gained from having a bunch of international friends (now steadfastly life-long) that I met & made at university, I wouldn't have had the courage to take the leap across a whole continent as a wide-eyed young man all those decades ago.
And it's these same network of international friends that I tapped into when I needed to consult on setting up my own business in Sydney. A few of them ended up being partners in the venture.
It's often said, and not without good reason, that's is more who you know than what you do. The world runs on that principle, like it or not. The haves and the have nots, those "in the know" and those who are not. It doesn't make for pleasant reading and to a certain extent, it goes against almost every grain of moral righteousness that we like to profess we possess - but, be it "guanxi" in China, to the "old boy (or gal, as it may be the case for some) network" in our culture or whatever you'd like to term it elsewhere - it has always been a way to get a leg up, a foot in and a head start in life.
As much as I'd hate to admit it, I've been the beneficiary of having the right "mates" from the right "network" (read: school) at the right time. Except in my case, it was at a tertiary/post graduate level and not at primary or secondary/high school - but I would hazard a guess that the same ties that worked so well in my favor would have been forged with the same fervor even at primary or secondary/high school days.
I'd be the first to admit - if not for the confidence gained from having a bunch of international friends (now steadfastly life-long) that I met & made at university, I wouldn't have had the courage to take the leap across a whole continent as a wide-eyed young man all those decades ago.
And it's these same network of international friends that I tapped into when I needed to consult on setting up my own business in Sydney. A few of them ended up being partners in the venture.
It's often said, and not without good reason, that's is more who you know than what you do. The world runs on that principle, like it or not. The haves and the have nots, those "in the know" and those who are not. It doesn't make for pleasant reading and to a certain extent, it goes against almost every grain of moral righteousness that we like to profess we possess - but, be it "guanxi" in China, to the "old boy (or gal, as it may be the case for some) network" in our culture or whatever you'd like to term it elsewhere - it has always been a way to get a leg up, a foot in and a head start in life.
Apr 30th 2017, 7:55 am
#32
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 14,040
Re: Visit NSW school before enrolling - mission impossible
Sadly, private schools and their much vaunted network are not merely a truckload of tosh as most of us inclined toward egalitarianism would like to admit.
As much as I'd hate to admit it, I've been the beneficiary of having the right "mates" from the right "network" (read: school) at the right time. Except in my case, it was at a tertiary/post graduate level and not at primary or secondary/high school - but I would hazard a guess that the same ties that worked so well in my favor would have been forged with the same fervor even at primary or secondary/high school days.
I'd be the first to admit - if not for the confidence gained from having a bunch of international friends (now steadfastly life-long) that I met & made at university, I wouldn't have had the courage to take the leap across a whole continent as a wide-eyed young man all those decades ago.
And it's these same network of international friends that I tapped into when I needed to consult on setting up my own business in Sydney. A few of them ended up being partners in the venture.
It's often said, and not without good reason, that's is more who you know than what you do. The world runs on that principle, like it or not. The haves and the have nots, those "in the know" and those who are not. It doesn't make for pleasant reading and to a certain extent, it goes against almost every grain of moral righteousness that we like to profess we possess - but, be it "guanxi" in China, to the "old boy (or gal, as it may be the case for some) network" in our culture or whatever you'd like to term it elsewhere - it has always been a way to get a leg up, a foot in and a head start in life.
As much as I'd hate to admit it, I've been the beneficiary of having the right "mates" from the right "network" (read: school) at the right time. Except in my case, it was at a tertiary/post graduate level and not at primary or secondary/high school - but I would hazard a guess that the same ties that worked so well in my favor would have been forged with the same fervor even at primary or secondary/high school days.
I'd be the first to admit - if not for the confidence gained from having a bunch of international friends (now steadfastly life-long) that I met & made at university, I wouldn't have had the courage to take the leap across a whole continent as a wide-eyed young man all those decades ago.
And it's these same network of international friends that I tapped into when I needed to consult on setting up my own business in Sydney. A few of them ended up being partners in the venture.
It's often said, and not without good reason, that's is more who you know than what you do. The world runs on that principle, like it or not. The haves and the have nots, those "in the know" and those who are not. It doesn't make for pleasant reading and to a certain extent, it goes against almost every grain of moral righteousness that we like to profess we possess - but, be it "guanxi" in China, to the "old boy (or gal, as it may be the case for some) network" in our culture or whatever you'd like to term it elsewhere - it has always been a way to get a leg up, a foot in and a head start in life.
Apr 30th 2017, 9:58 am
#33
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 706
Re: Visit NSW school before enrolling - mission impossible
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Last edited by xizzles; Apr 30th 2017 at 10:00 am. Reason: Wrong entry
May 1st 2017, 3:40 am
#34
`
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 38,611
Re: Visit NSW school before enrolling - mission impossible
Can I post to this thread?
Answer is yes, using quick reply.
Answer is yes, using quick reply.
Jun 7th 2017, 8:14 pm
#35
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2009
Location: Lower North Shore Sydney (again)
Posts: 85
Re: Visit NSW school before enrolling - mission impossible
**Update**
Just got back from our reccie. Managed to get in to see a (state) school and the Headteacher was really supportive of us wanting to actually visit, rather than relying on stats and website copy. Learned lots about the extra curricular stuff, differentiation methods and the pastoral care etc.
Was good to find an open and dynamic Head and good facilities and all that. But it was mostly good to see happy kids and staff. I'm all about the soft stuff.
Got a better idea of where to focus a rental search on now so it's all good :-)
Just got back from our reccie. Managed to get in to see a (state) school and the Headteacher was really supportive of us wanting to actually visit, rather than relying on stats and website copy. Learned lots about the extra curricular stuff, differentiation methods and the pastoral care etc.
Was good to find an open and dynamic Head and good facilities and all that. But it was mostly good to see happy kids and staff. I'm all about the soft stuff.
Got a better idea of where to focus a rental search on now so it's all good :-)
Jun 7th 2017, 8:17 pm
#36
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Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2009
Location: Lower North Shore Sydney (again)
Posts: 85
Aug 29th 2018, 8:29 am
#37
Just Joined
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 2
Re: Visit NSW school before enrolling - mission impossible
We are in the same dilemma with the added problem of being on a temporary visa so having to pay - and i think not having schools obliged to take us - we are also looking at Lower north shore, Crystaltipps anything you can share would be very useful
Aug 29th 2018, 9:11 am
#38
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Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2009
Location: Lower North Shore Sydney (again)
Posts: 85
Re: Visit NSW school before enrolling - mission impossible
Anyway, in answer to your question I would've been happy with any lower north shore school, they obviously have their individual pros and cons but all seem to offer a good education. We went with Anzac Park Public in Cammeray and were really happy with it. It's new so is very techy, with state of the art facilities and young, keen teachers. It has been set up as a flagship school for NSW and companies like Google come in to do workshops and training with the kids. My kids did a lot of coding and robotics and performed dance at the opera house.
It's a little alternative - the kids don't have to wear shoes in class, don't sit at desks and don't have homework lower down the school but everything they do is supposedly based on established research about how kids learn best. I was happy that as well as focussing on all the digital stuff, they have plenty of outdoor space - not always the case in that area. The other good thing about that school is that they are very used to having new kids - 18 new pupils started the same day as my two.
As far as I'm aware the only lower north shore school that won't accept 457s is Neutral Bay as it's so full.
To be honest, you can't really go wrong in that area. Enjoy, it's a brilliant place for families.
