fizz38

Could anyone let me know what the education is like in Australia?
Maybe 1st hand experience?
Have 3 kids 6,11 & 13 so obviously interested in Primary and also High Schools. Are schools easy to get into or do they get oversubscribed like here in the UK?

suec

We, too, would like some insight to aussie schools. Been researching on the net and quite a few Brisbane schools have excellent websites and the schools look great - great ethos etc etc as well as sports grounds and training. (Our son's school in the UK does not have a footie pitch or anywhere to have sports day. They have to travel to another school - depressing!)

But it is very daunting to be moving the kids across the world to posiibly face the same problems as we have here - expect it will be hotter!

Good luck looking though!
Sue C.

janeyray

Hi There,
My daughter has been to a state primary school here in Perth which was excellent and only had 19 in the class. Now she is in a small private (not expensive) school which has 33 in the class!!?? Both were easy to get into but not sure if I think the education system here is any good.

My daughter is 6 years old and as most kids from the UK are, she is top of the class. In her class there are pre-primary (age 5) year 1 (age 6) and year 2 (age 7). Strange system in my opinion, her previous school had 6 and 7 year olds. Its all about learning to intergrate and learn to ask elders and to look after younger ones!!!? Nothing to do with education and bad luck if you aren't as fast as the 7 year old next to you!!

They seem to concentrate on getting a child to be a public speaker rather than teaching them how to read and write.

Perthplease

well my two cent worth,

3 kids aged 5 , 8 and 11

3(pre- primary) year old was in fulltime year 1 in the UK, reading, writing and progressing quite well,he is now in pre-primary playing all the time painting, singing etc.. there seem no time for reading, writing and teaching him these skills, which we do everyday for him, personally, my opinion, my boy is going backwards, this might be the school or the level at which they start teaching kids here, but we are a little concerned.

8, 11( pre-primary)

some little problems with homework never getting checked, writing in pencil, never reading to teachers to improve their confidence in reading etc.. minor things, nothing like the UK system I have seen so far, very laid back about what they expect from them.

well thats my opinion anyway.

PP

janeyray

I find this very strange but read with my daughter to compensate. I used to sit in for half an hour at my daughters first school and listen to some of the children read (maybe the teacher is to busy to do this her/himself?) and found that most (age 6 to 7) struggled with very simple words. They were reading books that my daughter read in reception class back in the UK (pre-primary).

debsy

My daughter will think that she is in paradise!! She is currently in year 4 of a private school (not in the UK). She starts school at 08.30 and finishes at 16.15. When she gets home from School she has at least a another two hours homework, usually more.
We have had to cancel all after school activities like tennis, ballet etc as she is too tired. Sad life for an eight year old.

Even at the weekends there is no respite as she spends most of Saturday doing homework.

Yes, she is well advanced with her reading and maths but it won't get her to University any quicker than the laid back schooling system in Australia. At least when we go there she may get the chance to have some fun!

suec

Wow, my son would have an absolute fit if his school day was like that! You are quite right - they won't get to uni any quicker but school should be about having fun as well and time to do other things like footie, dance or whatever.

But it still concerns me how laid back the aussies are. Some children need 'pushing' to get the basic things done at school. If it is too laid back they won't acheive anything.:scared: