Re: British Schools
 

Click here for a list of British schools outside Britain.

Notice that the list contains only two countries in which English is the native language: Canada & the USA (though the latter is debatable). My guess is that these cater primarily for the children of Britons whose work takes them abroad for long periods, such as diplomats and members of the armed forces.

British schools outside Britain usually exist for the purpose of providing a British education to native English speakers in a country where the first language is not English. Ergo, a British school in Australia would be completely pointless and a waste of everyone's time.

Considering that Australia is three times the size of Western Europe, I am reasonably certain that if you look hard enough, you'll be able to find a school which caters for your child's needs. If push comes to shove, I can recommend the International Baccalaureate, which is available at 97 schools across Australia.

In the meantime, since I am an Australian living in the UK (arrived 16th of January 2004) and planning to start a family, I would appreciate it if you could give me a list of Australian schools in Britain. Somewhere close to Walsall would be ideal.

Thanks. :)

Re: British Schools
 

The problem is not so much the number of Poms, as the concentration of Poms within a given area. Sure, there might be enough Poms in Australia to justify a British-curriculum school - but they don't all live in the same place, do they?

The Australian government provides generous subsidies to independent schools. The private school in Adelaide that my wife and I have earmarked for our children (when they eventually arrive :o ) receives a base subsidy of $5,000 per child, plus extras. :)

Re: British Schools
 

Well, from what I hear half of them are in Perth - maybe that would be a good place to start! And besides, independent schools can be very small and can cover the age range from 3-18. I reckon it could be a go-er!
And at $5000 per child per year, I'd only need about a dozen kids to earn the same as I got in the UK for teaching 500-odd a week,up to 34 at a time. 12 kids sounds ok to me!

Re: British Schools
 

Well, you could take a crack at it. But I can assure you that the WA government isn't going to hand out $5,000 per child for a small group which would effectively constitute little more than a form of large-scale home schooling. :huh: If it did, everyone would be in on the game.

You see, that $5,000 isn't paid to the teachers; it's paid to the school. It's for teachers' salaries, utility bills, maintenance, and all the other things a school has to budget for. So I wouldn't get too carried away if I were you. :unsure:

Still, it's not all doom and gloom. If you can put together a fully operational school of 100 kids or more, you might be onto something. :)

Re: British Schools
 

I'll keep it on the back burner.
Still, 100 kids at $5000 each.... is $500,000 - that'd pay four teachers $50k a year each and leave $300,000 per year for a building with four rooms for teaching, one computer suite, one dinner hall, small kitchen area (bring packed lunches), and a field for sports and maybe a small conservation area or veggie garden. Maybe with a goat! I like it.... :D

(OR, teach outdoors and pay the teachers $125k each!)

Re: British Schools
 

Yes, but (a) my example is from South Australia not WA, and (b) I imagine that the size of the grant would be proportionate to the size of the school.

The school I've referred to (Heritage College, Oakden, SA) has a population of around 400 pupils.

For an example of a small scale independent school which benefits from government grants, I suggest you visit Kingsley Montessori School, which I attended from the ages of 5-8 and for which I later worked as a teacher's aide. That should give you some idea of what's possible on a slim budget.

When I left my job in December 1997, the school was about $30,000 in debt but still coping quite well.

Re: British Schools
 

Oh God here we go again.

Why shouldn't they?

Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy, France, USA, Malaysia, Brunei, Norway etc etc ....do.

Re: British Schools
 

There is an International School in Perth. It follows IB.

Re: British Schools
 

A better answer!!

Re: British Schools
 

Uh... because it's an English-speaking nation with no need (in "supply/demand" terms) for a British school?

See my previous post on the subject (here).

Re: British Schools
 

I suspect that if it was free there would be enough demand here in WA. Public confidence in the local system is very low.

Re: British Schools
 

Presbyterian Ladies' College (Peppermint Grove), Scotch College (Swanbourne) and Kingsley Montessori School also offer the IB.

Re: British Schools
 

You won't need it. You'll find that the UK system is far superior! ;)

Not sure about your theory about English language being the main driver of the avalaibility of British schools. You mentioned the US and Canada - how many other countries with significant economies are there where English is the main language? Not many - therefore you won't find many English speaking countries with British schools - QED. The fact that the US and Canada have British schools is significant.

I think that it's more a function of how many expats there are on temporary contracts. Workers on contracts want their kids to fit back into the UK system quickly and easily after they return. Hence the demand for British schools. Therefore Singapore where English is the main language of admin. has lots of British schools. So does Brunei where the main language of instruction is English.

Re: British Schools
 

Stop being so sensible! a) the amount per pupil can't be radically different between states, and b) you'd think that smaller schools would need more per pupil not less and c) this is all pure hypothesis anyway, I'm not saying anyone can just set up a school! I was thinking out loud! and d) a school which is only $30,000 in debt is doing well, in my experience. I can't think of an e).

Re: British Schools
 

I suspect that the key difference in this case is the term dates. The international school follows a year structure which matches both the northern summer and the southern summer - i.e. extensive vacations in Dec and Jul.

There will also be some VET differences.