pinkdove

hi there

id like to hear from anybody whos upped and went to Wa with their family and found that it wasnt what they expected and decided to turn back to uk. im not tryin to be a spoil-sport or anythin... just wanna get a realistic picture of those whove experienced this.

we r hopin to go to wa early next year ( visa all granted ) ... thing is with 2 kids ....we r just tryin to get some views really ( now taht weve got the visa .. were worried if its the right thing for the children.... in terms of their education esp now that ive found out that Wa is 2 years behind uk !!!!!!!)

TA

wombat42

There is alot more to OZ then WA. Most Aussies live in the Eastern states and probably think its a better place to live then WA. Although WA has sun, good beaches and cheap housing and a strong economy. Some find it boring or isolated compared to the eastern states, lacking the green and variety of countryside of the eastern states and a bit too hot in summer.WA may be the perfect place for you but you should also visit the eastern states and consider them before making your decision.

gedge

Best place to ask this would be in the Moving back to the UK forum. There is a thread running about "what's wrong with oz". Have a look over there, but don't forget to come back from the 'dark' side. It can be quite a downer reading some of the posts. Worthwhile as long as you make the right balance between the good and the bad. Not everyone's experience will be relevant to you.

wholeworldwindow

Just to quickly add that I was surprised. I have a 6 year old that started p2 this week. Since he has already done most of the year in UK and been one of the top in his class, we felt sure that he would find school unchallengeing - I am amazed - the work he is being asked to do is far more advanced than in UK! He is middle in his class and copeing but I was very surprised. Not sure if that says more about his UK schooling or OZ!

kirsty&al

Have you tried posting some of your questions on here to see what sort of answers you get? Also have you done any searches in the areas relevant to you? There is a search facility at the top right had corner of the page.

The answers you get may help you decide whether you need more professional advice or whether you want to do it yourself. Obviously you should not give out any specifics (e.g. amount of money) but you can give broad detail (e.g. 3 pensions of X, Y and Z type).

Regards
Alistair

ABCDiamond

Remember to take account of those that come to OZ, then return to the UK, but come back to OZ again It is not an uncommon occurence.

Is WA schooling really 2 years behind the UK ?

YFitz

[QUOTE=pinkdove]hi there

education esp now that ive found out that Wa is 2 years behind uk !!!!!!!)

Don't know where you got this info from but we arrived in Perth in January this year. My 4 year old who had started Reception in UK in September went into Pre-Primary (reception equivalent) at the start of school year here in Jan. My just turned 7 year old started Year 2 in the UK last Sept and started Year 2 here in Jan. So really they have only repeated 1 term. I am also very happy with the work they are doing- particularly in my 7 year olds English/literacy class. Since being here we have spoken to people who are very happy with their child's school and people who aren't.....just like in the UK.

movetoperth

I dont know where you are getting the info about schooling here in WA being 2 years behind, i dont really think you can draw a comparison. Schooling here is different, emphasis is on different things. Since being here my children have done really well at school, especially the younger one who had never shown any interest whatsoever before coming to WA. Both boys are much more confident, have a much better social life and are enjoying the sport side of things too. I have found that their school focuses very much on values and seems to produce well rounded children.

I am certainly far happier with their education here than i was in England.

Lynn

kirsty&al

Oops - this was meant for another thread.
Please ignore.
A.

pinkdove

[QUOTE=YFitz] hi yfitz

thks for replying. i got the info from this forum actually.....someone said that since my son (7 yrs) is Aug born , he would be 2 yrs behind ! so it was a relief getting this message from u.

pinkdove

i actually gor this info from someone on this forum. apparently since my son is Aug born ( he's 7 )he would be 2 yrs behind.anyway, thanks for the insight - it was really helpful hearing from someone whos experienced, still i dont understand why the other person said 2 yrs behind !
did u find it easy looking fro good schools for your children ? i presume they have the same " catchment area " issue just like uk?

movetoperth

It is the same with catchmenta areas, we were just lucky we rented in an area which has one of the best primary schools in the area, this wasnt planned, we had a very short time to find a house and the one we found turned out to have a good school, we have since moved to a neighbouring suburb which has an equally good school but i havent moved the boys as they are very happy where they are.

If your child turned 7 last august he will be in year 3 here, my eldest was 8 in sept and is in yr 4, he missed year 2 completely and did struggle for a bit but is still achieving above average results for his year which is well good enough for me.

We were out for dinner last night with family we havent seen for a while and they both said how confident and outgoing the boys were compared to when they got here (to me they were loud and showing off!!!!).

Lynn