TOB

Hi,

My family and I are currently renting in Mosman and need to find a good primary school for our daughter to go to in January 06.

She has been offered a place at Mosman Public School as we are in the catchment however, we are unsure whether this is a good school as there are no Ofsted style reports here inOz. Does anyone know what this school is like?

My daughter is baptised Catholic so we are also looking at Sacred Heart Primary School, Mosman and Blessed Sacrament in Clifton Gardens. Both of these schools have waiting lists.

If anyone has any feedback on the above schools I would appreciate some feedback.

Thanks

Tracy

wanderingwombat

Mosman is not exactly a low socio-economic area.....

WW

TOB

Doesn't mean a school is good though does it?

NickyC

Mostly it does, yes. The higher the education level of the local parents - the better the local schools are - because they take note of what's happening in the schools, are quick to ask questions, raise issues etc and will have an active P&C to fund-raise for extras.

There can be notable exceptions in wealthy areas where MOST kids go to private schools. Then the local public school can have an overly high percentage of kids from lower-income families - because they're the ONLY kids not at the private schools.

It's unlikely that any school in Mosman is bad.

CarlaA

Hi Tracy,
I don't usually post in this forum but I wanted to reassure you about the schools you are considering as my daughter goes to Mosman Public and is very happy there.
When she first arrived (in Year 1) she was identified as needing extra help with reading and writing and has been given that ever since. She has found the other children to be very welcoming and supportive. They are a nice bunch of kids. Plenty of after school activities too if you want that.
Of course each child/parent has a unique experience of whatever school they go to. There's no guarantee that you will be happy with the particular teacher you get, but all that my daughter has had so far have been good.

There is very strong parent support for this school. Parents have very high expectations for their kids here. The amount raised by the P&C is very high in this affluent area.

Most of my daughters friends have been on private high school lists since birth. They talk at school about whether they will be going to 'Monte' or 'Queenwood'... etc, etc. Nonetheless their private-school minded parents are very happy to send their children to this public primary school.

I don't have figures on school outcomes for year 3 and 5 assessments, but I believe they are pretty good. Whether that reflects well on the school is harder to say - you'd have to be doing something very amiss to get very poor results from children from this socio-economic group.

I would say the possible disadvantages of Mosman PS are that: (1) it is a rather rareified (and also predominately anglo) world; (2) the school does lose several children in years 5 and 6 when some of them move on to private school and some to OC class at Neutral Bay; (3) I do find many teachers rather sexist/old fashioned in their readiness to divide the class on gender lines when they need to organise a quiz, form lines, etc - but this seems to be widespread in Sydney and not unique to this school; (4) the school is quite a large one.

I believe Blessed Sacrament is the smaller of the two Catholic primary schools in Mosman? If so, then I have a friend with two children there. She is certainly very happy with her choice. She initially chose the school because of its small size. Mosman PS is certainly a large primary - although my daughter had no trouble making the transition to it from a very small (60 kids) country UK school.

I have another child in Neutral Bay OC and I would also recommend that school. It has a more urban and multicultural vibe than Mosman.

In addition I'm told that Mosman High school is an excellent high school - especially for arts subjects. I would certainly be happy for my daughter to go there.

I hope this helps.
Good luck with your choice.

wanderingwombat

http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.a...5E1702,00.html

"Motorists caught speeding by a camera in a school zone at Mosman, on Sydney's north shore, have been fined almost $3 million – the highest amount in the state, according to the newspaper, while one camera in the city's Eastern Distributor pulled in $2.394 million."

Hmmm, seems like some big people in the area (or commuting through it) need some education.

WW

Vash the Stampede

Crikey, you guys must be loaded! :scared:

lisaxxx

Hi Tracy
My friends Debbie and Roger (originally from London) live in Mosman and know quite a lot about the area.They have a salon (Bromptons)so perhaps you could pop in for a chat
Lisa

TOB

Thanks for your reply Carla,

For someone who doesn't usually post on this forum you certaininly provided me with information that is very useful.

Regards


UOTE=CarlaA]Hi Tracy,
I don't usually post in this forum but I wanted to reassure you about the schools you are considering as my daughter goes to Mosman Public and is very happy there.
When she first arrived (in Year 1) she was identified as needing extra help with reading and writing and has been given that ever since. She has found the other children to be very welcoming and supportive. They are a nice bunch of kids. Plenty of after school activities too if you want that.
Of course each child/parent has a unique experience of whatever school they go to. There's no guarantee that you will be happy with the particular teacher you get, but all that my daughter has had so far have been good.

There is very strong parent support for this school. Parents have very high expectations for their kids here. The amount raised by the P&C is very high in this affluent area.

Most of my daughters friends have been on private high school lists since birth. They talk at school about whether they will be going to 'Monte' or 'Queenwood'... etc, etc. Nonetheless their private-school minded parents are very happy to send their children to this public primary school.

I don't have figures on school outcomes for year 3 and 5 assessments, but I believe they are pretty good. Whether that reflects well on the school is harder to say - you'd have to be doing something very amiss to get very poor results from children from this socio-economic group.

I would say the possible disadvantages of Mosman PS are that: (1) it is a rather rareified (and also predominately anglo) world; (2) the school does lose several children in years 5 and 6 when some of them move on to private school and some to OC class at Neutral Bay; (3) I do find many teachers rather sexist/old fashioned in their readiness to divide the class on gender lines when they need to organise a quiz, form lines, etc - but this seems to be widespread in Sydney and not unique to this school; (4) the school is quite a large one.

I believe Blessed Sacrament is the smaller of the two Catholic primary schools in Mosman? If so, then I have a friend with two children there. She is certainly very happy with her choice. She initially chose the school because of its small size. Mosman PS is certainly a large primary - although my daughter had no trouble making the transition to it from a very small (60 kids) country UK school.

I have another child in Neutral Bay OC and I would also recommend that school. It has a more urban and multicultural vibe than Mosman.

In addition I'm told that Mosman High school is an excellent high school - especially for arts subjects. I would certainly be happy for my daughter to go there.

I hope this helps.
Good luck with your choice.[/QUOTE]