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We are presently awaiting for our VISAs and have sold our house...but now the nerves are kicking in. I know that moving to OZ will not be a constant holiday and that there will be many issues to face...

I am more than happy to take a risk and move, but I do worry so much about my 3 children settling in school and being bullied because they are british. Can anyone tell me some encouraging stories???

Tracey (browsers better half )

r.bartlett

i wouldn't worry too much

anywhere's got to be better than andover....

and at least you won't ever have to go to the 'country bumkin' again..

cheers

richard

dotty

Kids get bullied here for all the normal reasons. However Being British does not seem to be a problem, never seen kids being teased for that reason alone.

I would however make sure they are competent swimmers and aware that sports here is usually more important than reading and writing. As long as they can kick a soccer ball etc they will be fine. White skin is no problem either sunbathing went out of fasion here in about 1989.

Matt & Jo

Hi,

My daughter is 10 and was never bullied in the UK, and I am pleased to say she has not been here either.

If anything they are treated like stars, the aussies kids are very interested in where she has come from, her clothes are always being worn by her friends when they come.(I think the fashion in the UK is slightly ahead of OZ) They want to know about the Kings and Queens, and if she ever met Princess Di !!!

So, if you have any worries please do not, Jemma has been accepted well, and is doing very well in her classes, always coming home with certificates for one thing or another. Her teacher says she has fitted in extremely well. So I am pleased.
in fact she can not wait to get to school most mornings!!!

Love Jo x

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Wow, country bumpkin....theres a blast from the past...

Just read too many negative posts I guess Richard and have been socialising a lot with family and friends lately. Then you start to think, is it really that bad here? Actally I like my life here, just want to try something else and not be Andover for the rest of my life...just getting the jitters!!!today hopefully will have a good day!!!

What year was you at school, where did you go?

T

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Thanks for your reply, my kids love sport, which is one reason we chosse the Australian lifestyle. You have cheeredme up, will have a good day today.

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Thanks for your reply Jo..you made me feel better...how long have you been in Perth? What age was Gemma when you went to OZ?

Smoko

that doesnt sound normal. What is oz doing to the poor kid?

pommie bastard

What ward are on , them nutters retreats let you post on the internet , how do you remember all your names?

Rosy

Hey come on now, Andover`s not that bad!!! Lovely part of the country really - think of all those little places like Stockbridge etc. full of character...

Seriously, I was full of BIG doubts when all our friends arranged get togethers before we left. As I said on a previous post - I would encourage anyone to try emigration - you`ll only spend the rest of your life wondering "what if" if you don`t. HOWEVER, I would recommend not burning all your bridges unless you are 150%(!) certain you will not be returning - rent out your house in the UK, rent in Oz (or wherever) for a year or two - then see how you feel. You have lost very little, gained a hell of a lot in terms of experience, and if it`s the right decision for you to stay in Oz, well then just sell the house in the UK and buy over here.

One thing I would say, (and many who read these forums will probably call me "negative" for this) we came over here partly for our children - they were 7 and 9 at the time - believing they would have a better education and more opportunities later in life than if we`d stayed in England (near Winchester actually - not so far from Andover!). This has been the biggest let-down for the move, and the main reason why we are shortly returning to England.

Smoko

you only have to look at aussies to see what the schools are like. Im not sure many of them go and they still leave at 15 or something dont they? Its like the waltons. Most of the aussies I ever worked with were thick as porrige.

Rosy

I wouldn`t say all Aussies were thick, and certainly the behavioural standards in the schools here are a damn sight better than in the UK, but the emphasis on sports, sports, sports, to the exclusion of the "Three R`s" is, to my mind, a little short-sighted....

dotty

Primary State School..
Bell goes at 8.45, sit on carpet till 9.30 doing roll call and show and tell, divide into groups and do reading/writing till 10.50. Usually self paced and pretty noisy if teacher is not strict 10.50 little lunch till 11.15. Middle session, sport, music or library often happens here. 12.50 to 1.40 big lunch. 1.40 till 2.35 another lesson or on Fridays free time to finish work. Homework, declared by school I help at as "detremental to families and causes problems" , so you may see a few spelling words or a book but it is optional if parent has time.

Kids love it because they dont do anyting that resembles education if you went to school in the UK! How they learn is beyond me and many dont. To be fair my kids did fine but I would have been terrified to return them to the UK and have expected them to have passed anything there.

Languages, Indonesian may be offered starting in grade 6 which is a bit late really. Sport, plenty of opportunity there. Music, seems like a lucky dip for the dozen or so kids out of hundreds that get the instruments. And that is a school with a great reputation!

janeyray

Primary State School... Well the one my daughter goes to anyway
Siren goes at 8.50. On Mondays my daughter has to be there for 8.50 but Tuesday to Friday they have to be there at 8.30am to all read individually to the class. They choose a different reading book everyday and also have to read every night at home. Their reading diary has to be completed each night by their parents, each nights reading goes towards merits for each child.
My daughter does Gymnastics on a Monday but only for 5 weeks. Sport is only done on a Friday and the library is only visited on a Wednesday. The rest of the time is spent on Reading, writing and the normal things that primary schools in the UK do. Maybe the schools you are talking about are not the best schools to use as an example. I know there are bad schools as there certainly are in the UK. Surely those people coming to Australia from another country dont expect the same as the UK? Every schools system is different. Thats why you should choose the area that you live in very carefully and make sure the school is right for your child.