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Australian schools - they're fine, honest

Australian schools - they're fine, honest

Old Jun 24th 2003, 8:47 am
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Default Australian schools - they're fine, honest

I don't get all the moaning about Australian schools - some people must have been very unlucky.

There are good and bad schools just like here. The good schools tend to be in the better suburbs and most Aussies send their kids to state school. You need to check out schools before committing to a house purchase same as here. Our local schools here in London are appalling.

OK - so you can't get that public school accent in Oz but there are plenty of expensive private schools that will give you the equivalent obnoxious attitude and city connections if that's what you want for your kids.

Educational standards at universities in Oz, NZ and the UK are similar in our experience. There are plenty of famous Australian scientists and medical bods for the population size that's for sure and some great research is being done there within the constraints of not having American budgets.

Ask a teacher here that you like what they think of Australian teachers - UK schools rely on a neverending supply of enthusiastic Aussie teachers with working holiday visas!

Some points to consider:

Class sizes in Victoria are aimed to be 22 - don't know about other states

Schools have playing fields and space for kids to burn off energy not just tarmac with 'no running' signs

Don't know if maintenance budgets are better than here but the school buildings are all newer anyway

UK teachers are aging and in short supply. The rules have just been changed to make them stay to 65 (was 60) to get a full pension

Young teachers I know here are keen to migrate once they have 2 years experience because they have families and need to be able to buy houses too

Jobsworth mentality is less in Oz and school secretaries I've spoken to there are more parent-friendly than our local here

Good luck to all.
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Old Jun 24th 2003, 9:25 am
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Default Re: Australian schools - they're fine, honest

Originally posted by Jolyn
I don't get all the moaning about Australian schools - some people must have been very unlucky.

There are good and bad schools just like here. The good schools tend to be in the better suburbs and most Aussies send their kids to state school. You need to check out schools before committing to a house purchase same as here. Our local schools here in London are appalling.

OK - so you can't get that public school accent in Oz but there are plenty of expensive private schools that will give you the equivalent obnoxious attitude and city connections if that's what you want for your kids.

Educational standards at universities in Oz, NZ and the UK are similar in our experience. There are plenty of famous Australian scientists and medical bods for the population size that's for sure and some great research is being done there within the constraints of not having American budgets.

Ask a teacher here that you like what they think of Australian teachers - UK schools rely on a neverending supply of enthusiastic Aussie teachers with working holiday visas!

Some points to consider:

Class sizes in Victoria are aimed to be 22 - don't know about other states

Schools have playing fields and space for kids to burn off energy not just tarmac with 'no running' signs

Don't know if maintenance budgets are better than here but the school buildings are all newer anyway

UK teachers are aging and in short supply. The rules have just been changed to make them stay to 65 (was 60) to get a full pension

Young teachers I know here are keen to migrate once they have 2 years experience because they have families and need to be able to buy houses too

Jobsworth mentality is less in Oz and school secretaries I've spoken to there are more parent-friendly than our local here

Good luck to all.

Just one small question - have you had children educated for any length of time in both systems???
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Old Jun 24th 2003, 11:03 am
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My son is only 3 so he hasn't been to school anywhere yet!

All my siblings, relatives and Australian friends were educated in Oz. They've had no trouble getting international jobs or postgrad scholarships to the UK or America. Australian universities are regarded highly internationally.

I have some friends who experienced both systems. Transferring between the systems didn't seem to be a problem. They all say the actual school experience was similar but the British schools were more depressing, the teachers more depressed and the lack of outside space (and weather to go out!) discouraging.

I met an Australian primary school teacher a few years ago who had transferred here for husband's business. She had her kids in state school in Oz and taught in state school so was very committed to the state idea. After visiting all the local schools around her nice bit of north London she was appalled and ended up keeping them out of school until she found a place in a small private school.

She told me she'd toured the schools, spoken to teachers and even looked at lesson plans. Main problems she saw were lack of educational focus or personal attention and depressing environment.

Schools are better outside London though I hear...
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Old Jun 24th 2003, 11:15 am
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Its all swings and roundabouts (or traffic circles for the aussies here ).

My wife went to school in oz...got a good education and a first class degree. I did the same here in the UK.

Wherever you go there will be good schools and bad schools, its just a case of finding out which is which.
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Old Jun 24th 2003, 1:57 pm
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Hi All,
My son is seven years old and has always gone to private school,
mainly because of the class sizes (16 Vs 32), the excellent sporting facilities and the opportunity to study languages at an early age.
It is not a terribly expensive public school it is a small privately owned school, about 450 children aged 2 1/2 to 13, and the children certainly do not have bad attitudes they are extreamly polite and caring which are not qualities that seem to be highly regarded by some people these days.


kind Regards
Averill & Steve
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Old Jun 24th 2003, 4:18 pm
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Exactly my point PeteY. Good luck!

ACE - I'm not knocking private schools, many/most of them especially the small ones are very caring. But there are certain big name public schools that specialise in developing arrogance. Unfortunately Oz has a selection of those too for the cultivation of normal boys (usually boys) into upper class twits...

You can find small private schools in Oz in the major cities. Montessori is especially popular. But if your kids are in a school you really love in the UK I'd think seriously before emigrating if it's not essential. That means one area of your life is going really well - why rock the boat? No two schools are exactly the same so you might not find something you like as much. Private school waiting lists are long in Oz too - 2 years for some.
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Old Jun 24th 2003, 4:26 pm
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The waiting lists are not long everywhere. I have spoken to 4 highly thought of Private schools on the Sunshine Coast and there are spaces for my 3 kids at most of them.

The thing that is putting me off private out there is the class sizes are not a lot smaller than the state schools. What is the benefit to the child, apart from extra subjects then??

For all 3 of mine to go to the best school it would cost $13 000 per year. So it is nowhere near the prices in the UK. Where I teach now it costs £6000 -£20 000 per year for the same age group per child!!

I do not think you can compare them as Oz schools get Government funding even the private ones. Uk ones receive nothing even though their parents pay huge amounts of taxes in.
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Old Jun 24th 2003, 7:10 pm
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Default Re: Australian schools - they're fine, honest

Originally posted by Jolyn
I don't get all the moaning about Australian schools - some people must have been very unlucky.

There are good and bad schools just like here. The good schools tend to be in the better suburbs and most Aussies send their kids to state school. You need to check out schools before committing to a house purchase same as here. Our local schools here in London are appalling.

OK - so you can't get that public school accent in Oz but there are plenty of expensive private schools that will give you the equivalent obnoxious attitude and city connections if that's what you want for your kids.

Educational standards at universities in Oz, NZ and the UK are similar in our experience. There are plenty of famous Australian scientists and medical bods for the population size that's for sure and some great research is being done there within the constraints of not having American budgets.

Ask a teacher here that you like what they think of Australian teachers - UK schools rely on a neverending supply of enthusiastic Aussie teachers with working holiday visas!

Some points to consider:

Class sizes in Victoria are aimed to be 22 - don't know about other states

Schools have playing fields and space for kids to burn off energy not just tarmac with 'no running' signs

Don't know if maintenance budgets are better than here but the school buildings are all newer anyway

UK teachers are aging and in short supply. The rules have just been changed to make them stay to 65 (was 60) to get a full pension

Young teachers I know here are keen to migrate once they have 2 years experience because they have families and need to be able to buy houses too

Jobsworth mentality is less in Oz and school secretaries I've spoken to there are more parent-friendly than our local here

Good luck to all.
don,t worry the puplic school system is alive and well in Adelaide, settled by free engish settlers many brought the school system with them SCOTCH COLLEGE ,ST PETERS, AND WILDERNESS ,girls only, their motto seems to be "ask not .what your school can do for you,what can you do for the school,"................. MM
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Old Jun 25th 2003, 2:24 am
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Originally posted by tinaj
The waiting lists are not long everywhere. I have spoken to 4 highly thought of Private schools on the Sunshine Coast and there are spaces for my 3 kids at most of them.

The thing that is putting me off private out there is the class sizes are not a lot smaller than the state schools. What is the benefit to the child, apart from extra subjects then??

For all 3 of mine to go to the best school it would cost $13 000 per year. So it is nowhere near the prices in the UK. Where I teach now it costs £6000 -£20 000 per year for the same age group per child!!

I do not think you can compare them as Oz schools get Government funding even the private ones. Uk ones receive nothing even though their parents pay huge amounts of taxes in.
I think the gloss went off private schools here , when one of the Principals of "One of the Best" (say with a snotty accent), was given the elbow for having it off with a 13 year old.

The idiots parading their kids in Private Uniforms went downhill fast. Plus before that a couple of local celebs, pulled their kids out of private and stuck them in the Fantastic huge Local High School. Thats where mine went too.
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Old Jun 25th 2003, 5:39 am
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Jolyn - thanks for your comments regarding education. I think choosing the 'right' school for your child is very personal and very much depends on your child, their personality, academic ability etc. etc. You are commenting about education in the Melbourne area and I think things are a bit different across Australia.

We've been in Perth for 1 year now and have recently moved our son to a private school - we tried the state system for 6 months and felt we had no choice but to move our him. Our son is a bright child, 7 years old, and SATS tests in the UK showed he had above average ability for reading and maths, writing was average. It was clear after starting our local state school he was well ahead of the class and getting bored, he was also excluded from joining in with other children because they couldn't relate to my son. He coped very well given the position he was in but it was clear the school wasn't going to benefit our son, only put him back both socially and academically.

We thought that living in a good area of Perth would automatically provide us with a good state primary school but it didn't work for us, where we live people have the money to put their children through private schools so you are left with a two tiered system of education.

My son now has (as Dotty put it) a posh uniform, he is proud of his uniform and is a different child now - more motivated, learning more, happy, made good friends etc. I don't send my son there because I want to parade him in front of the neighbours, I just want my son to learn in a well disciplined environment, maintain standards in education, manners, dress.

I've recently met up with a mum who has arrived in Perth from Melbourne, she has 4 children and she has been surprised at the difference in standards between the Victorian education system and the WA system, she was far happier with the schools in Melbourne.

There are good and bad schools in Australia and UK you just need to do what is best for your child.
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Old Jun 25th 2003, 6:10 am
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Default Re: Australian schools - they're fine, honest

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Jolyn
I don't get all the moaning about Australian schools - some people must have been very unlucky.

I think the whole jist of this post is a bit pointless really - generalisations such as "Australian Schools" and "English Schools" are worthless.

Also, to post something about a country`s education system without having experienced it first-hand (i.e. as a parent of a child in those systems) is, in my opinion, a little unfair.

My children were at a very good primary school in the UK and are now in supposedly "the best" state primary in our area here.
The standards are NOT as high here.

HOWEVER, I am sure there are lots of schools in the UK which are FAR, FAR worse than the one they are at in Aus, and vice-versa.
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Old Jun 25th 2003, 6:54 am
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Kath
.

We've been in Perth for 1 year now and have recently moved our son to a private school - we tried the state system for 6 months and felt we had no choice but to move our him. Our son is a bright child, 7 years old, and SATS tests in the UK showed he had above average ability for reading and maths, writing was average. It was clear after starting our local state school he was well ahead of the class and getting bored, he was also excluded from joining in with other children because they couldn't relate to my son. He coped very well given the position he was in but it was clear the school wasn't going to benefit our son, only put him back both socially and academically.>>>

I find it very hard to believe that Aussie kids could not relate to your son. I do heaps of work in a Primary school (reading program) and not once have I seen a Pommie kid excluded. Also streaming of kids is not done here. Classes are divided say 6 above av, 6 Average, 6below average and 6 who may need help or special needs. Most seven year olds dont give a poo about who is smart and whos not. That sounds more like a mum thing to me.

We thought that living in a good area of Perth would automatically provide us with a good state primary school but it didn't work for us, where we live people have the money to put their children through private schools so you are left with a two tiered system of education. >>>>>>

So much for classless Australia! As I have said before the class system is alive and kicking here.

Anyway my main point is working in schools I can assure anyone Primary or High that I have yet to see a Pommie Kid not made welcome.
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Old Jun 25th 2003, 7:12 am
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We thought that living in a good area of Perth would automatically provide us with a good state primary school but it didn't work for us, where we live people have the money to put their children through private schools so you are left with a two tiered system of education. >>>>>>

So much for classless Australia! As I have said before the class system is alive and kicking here.

Kath, your assessment of the Aussie education system is spot on!!!

Also, it might come as a bit of a shock to those still in the UK, but the class system here is just as bad as the UK.

We live in a very "affluent" area of Brisbane (only affordable because of the equity we had from our properties in the UK) and the people who send their children to the "best" private schools are a pain in the a"*e" in my opinion - i.e. unsociable, snobby to the extreme, and uninterested in anyone who doesn`t fit their idea of the "right type"...
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Old Jun 25th 2003, 9:50 am
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Originally posted by Rosy

I think the whole jist of this post is a bit pointless really - generalisations such as "Australian Schools" and "English Schools" are worthless.
Absolutely! How dare anyone suggest that the schools are Ok!

Come off it Rosy, so Jolyn's post is pointless......but yours never are, are they? You may not have realised but you made a 'pointless & worthless' generalisation in your same reply!

Gra...

PS. Perhaps your good friend Dotty was talking about you the other day......no it's not, no it's not, no it's not, no it's not......
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Old Jun 25th 2003, 10:05 am
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Originally posted by Gra.B
Absolutely! How dare anyone suggest that the schools are Ok!

Come off it Rosy, so Jolyn's post is pointless......but yours never are, are they? You may not have realised but you made a 'pointless & worthless' generalisation in your same reply!

Gra...

PS. Perhaps your good friend Dotty was talking about you the other day......no it's not, no it's not, no it's not, no it's not......
Oh dear... don`t get so worked up. Where is my "pointless and worthless generalisation`???

And if you had bothered to really read my post, you would have noticed that I didn`t say that the schools in either country were ALL good or ALL bad...
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