Hi, we are hoping to move to Brisbane at the beginning of 08. There are so many things to think about and I am finding it all a bit mind boggling! We have 2 children aged 13 and 14. I have been looking at schools in the Carindale area and also on the coast around Ormiston, Thorndale and Wellington Point. I have heard good and bad reports about state schools and have read that most people in OZ send there children to private schools. Is this true? What are the schools really like?

Bernadette.

Hi there,

its very difficult to give opinions on schools - the school my kids went to in the UK just got an Outstanding in its Ofsted Inspection and was excellent, however some people still were not happy with it - so its the same here - you need to go and see the schools for yourself.

I think about 1/3 of children here go to private school - this is probably due to the number of church schools which are often more affordable but are classed as private - whereas in the UK a Catholic school would be free here you pay a smallish amount (not sure how much for high schools though so check the websites). There are lots of good private schools in the area and if you can afford them then it would make sense to send your children one which is what most people seem to say - but again I would advise visiting them yourself.

If you can't afford private school there is still every chance that your child can be very successful in a state school - maybe someone else can advise you on the state high schools in those areas - judging purely on results Cleveland State High School seems to do reasonably well.

Hi, thanks for your reply. I think out of all the things my husband and I have to sort out before we go the one that is bothering me most is schools for my kids. I just want to make sure I get it right for them as they are my main concern. I think I will take your advice (and my husbands!) and make the decisions when we get out there and have had a good look round.

thanks again

Bernadette.

We have heard good and bad about all schools, in this area though the ones we liked were both state Cleveland State High and Wellington Point High, for private have heard only good about Ormistion College.

Kaye

You'll find a lot of info if you do a search on it. I've seen a few discussions about the private and state schools around Ormiston and Wellington Point area.

The search function is a very valuable tool here!

comet 555

I have done a lot of research on the "Ormiston and Wellington Point " areas on the net but obviously it is not the same as actually being there. My husband and I have never even visited Aus so it will be all new to us. What is the east coast around you area like in real life, is it as beautiful as it looks and is there plenty for teenagers to do as I have 2 of them

I think the area is beautiful, I had never been to Australia before either.

I have two little kids (aged 3.5 years and 1 year) so I'm not sure what activites there are for teenagers. There seems to be a lot of sports to get involved in and there is a movie theatre and lots of shopping around. We've only been here for a couple of months so we haven't gotten out too much.

We've driven into the city a bunch of times and I much prefer the Bayside area. It's just less crowded and feels a little more relaxed.

Oh...what I meant by the search thing is to search the forums on BE, not the web. Not sure if you've tried that yet. If you haven't go to the main Australia forum and look on the right side of the higlighted blue section. It will give you the option to search there.

Here's a quick search or two:
http://britishexpats.com/forum/searc...earchid=833290
http://britishexpats.com/forum/searc...earchid=833299