Belle121

Hi, we are searching out schools in Brisbane. My son is 12 and we are looking to start year 8 again come January 2017.
Initially we found Brisbane Boys College suitable and he's done the exam, interview and a day's trial. I really like the school as its friendly and non pressurised, seems to fit my son well.
However we need to look at other options. We had a look round Churchie which appears very impressive with all the bells and whistles but maybe too pushy for my son... Not sure. Nudgee is also an option.
Does anyone have any experience with these schools? My son is average, lacks confidence but loves rugby.

Thanks in advance!

jad n rich

What are you trying to achieve for him?

My 3 boys did private, State and IB in QLD.

In State and Private, sport ranked so highly, kids talented in this area were pulled from Maths, English, missing whatever to attend sport. A system I was wary of, few in reality end up making a living from sport alone.

Check the schools policy on this.

Snobbery is a big factor in private schools in QLD, as it is anywhere.

I know in IB some parents were so keen to get kids in, the drop out was massive, they hadn't really thought if the child would really fit into such a rigorous 2 years. Same with Church schools, does the child really want to attend daily Mass? In our local very highly rated private, on the Sunshine Coast, kids who did not do well were discouraged from sitting for a grade 12 OP. (Keeps the schools reputation up, if they dont sit ) .

I think each parents experience of any school will be different, some posts may come up in the search function of these particular schools.

Just don't be swayed by any blurb found schools could brag a lot!! look at why and how they are really getting said results.

I would also try to get a look at the school and its student population during non "open day" interview type moments.

Eg.. A school might have a large % of children from a culture that highly values education and several hours of study a day, or the exam sitting exclusion policy I mentioned, or special provision for the elite athletes in the school.

Good luck with it.

I like tea

My two younger children went to St Peter’s Lutheran College in Indooroopilly. This is a large co ed boarding school which has amazing facilities and produces very good academic results. It has many students from overseas as well as children from properties in Queensland so students are exposed to many different cultures. It also provides scholarships for Aboriginal and Papua Guinean students. A large variety of sports are well catered for. However, it has a focus on ‘Image’ like all the GPS schools and was not as nurturing as my daughters Catholic all girl’s school.

We chose St Peters as my son originally went to an all boys school and hated it so after 6 months we changed to a co ed school which suited his personality much better.

The main thing is which ever school your son goes to he is happy and has a good peer group. Be aware that some of the boys schools are not only snobbish but also that winning is everything and have an elitist attitude.

Belle121

Thank you both for your replies.
I suppose the main thing is I want my son to enjoy his time at school. All private schools come with snobbery. Comes hand in hand. However, I'm looking for small class sizes and for him to find a niche and encourage to maximise potential.
As you say, I Like Tea, having a good peer group can make or break your time at school therefore this is why I'm swaying towards Brisbane Boys College, the school doesn't have the flash surroundings as the other two schools we are looking at, it comes across as down to earth, it really seems to focus on the boy itself.

I will check out St Peters, how many pupils does it have and what are class sizes?

Jad N Rich, oh yes... My eldest son has gone to an elite private school in UK and it didn't do him any favours and quite frankly it's quiet shocking what they get away with when it comes to exams!

I like tea

Sorry unable to tell you what class size they have at St Peter's. It's quite a big school but once again I don't know how many ( my children are now 34 & 32 so I was involved along time ago ). There have been many improvements since they left mainly the Performing Arts Centre, tuckshop, full sized catering kitchen for vocational students etc.

They have an impressive web site if you want to check it out ( senior school virtual tour is better).