midwife2be

Hi

I'm hoping to come to Perth in jan 08 and am aware that the schools are closed until early feb

We are looking for a primary and high school and want to know is it better to come and find house first then school or are school places hard to come by so need school first - but then schools need an address before they'll offer a place (have I just answered my own post??!!).

We've never been to perth, have friends in port ken but my job is in subiaco so want to come and have a good look NOR and SOR before we decide on a suburb.

Sorry if this is a very confusing post but if anyone has any advice for me I'd be very grateful

Thanx
julie x

teza

Are you looking at high schools or primary schools? For best school recommendations, do a search, and then look at living in those areas. School do have to take your kids in from their catchment areas (apart from kindy and preprimary years) so if you want to get into a certain school, living in their catchment area help

However, you may find it hard enrolling your kids to school with no address in their catchment area.

midwife2be

Thanks for your reply, I'm looking for both - primary and high school.

So if I live in a catchment area they have to take them? I thought I'd read posts where people cant get there kids into schools due to oversubscription dont want to get a rental and then not have a school place!!

Maybe I'm panicking but just would like to know what to expect when we get there

carmele

I emailed every single school possible (22 of them!) before we arrived and just said that we were moving into the area - we didn't know where we were going to move until we got here but they don't know that eh?

From here you can see who has space and plan your rental search around the ones that do. Also when you arrive and look around (even from the outside) at the schools that have space you may run mile! This further narrows the search down and you can then start to concentrate seriously on rentals in the areas where the schools are that you like

This is what we did and half the work is done via emailing

Carmel

teza

That's usually the case with kindy and preprimary as they are not compulsory and therefore once booked full, that's it, no more kids.

midwife2be

Thanks carmel, I think I'll try that, we have a few suburbs in mind so I'd better get onto it

julie x

midwife2be

Maybe thats where I've read it .

Whereabouts in north perth are you? Are you happy with the schools there?

killamarsh

Iv'e looked at the schools, created a shortlist and then looked at the suburbs, created a shortlist then knocked off the schools where I couldn't afford to live in that suburb and I have my shortlist of schools. I will be looking at the schools first to decide on the area/s we look at to live in. I think it's a rare opportunity to choose a school you like and an area you like. Usually you move to an area and hope that the school is ok unless you know the area and target it as it's got a good school (only through local knowledge though through living in the same area or country).

Issie

We found 2 schools in our ' chosen ' areas and went to visit both when we visited in February and had a good chat with the principle

The catchment areas are very tight and they want proof of your address before they will enroll. So if your not going until January then i think you should start emailing and researching some areas.
Good luck

midwife2be

I have done some research, looked at their 'league' table etc but its mindblowing

Its especially difficult since I've never been so wont really know if we're gonna like the area etc. I will do a bit more and try to narrow down my search - there seems to be hundreds of schools and thats before we even look at private ones

Thanks for all the replies

carmele

There will be circumstances that will narrow it down for you, like you say you may not like the area, also look at schools that are similar to your children's school now, ie size, it all helps with the settling in , I looked at schools that had 400 odd kids in it, they were too big for us, Therefore narrowing it down that little bit further!

Good Luck!

Carmel

quoll

The advice from anyone in education will be to get your house first! (Just retired from education and have said that hundreds of times!!!!) Schools can turn away people who dont live in their catchment area if they dont have space for them and sometimes they may "choose" not to have space. Sometimes it is almost impossible to find a house that you would be prepared to live in within your price range in the suburb you have selected so you have to look elsewhere. If you dont like the house then nothing else is going to be right either! Then you have to consider the commute to work aspects as well so that will also limit the area in which you may choose to live.

If you are desperate for a particular school, the best time to try and get your kid into a school outside the catchment area is before the first census which is usually held after the first couple of weeks of first term (mid Feb usually). After that, the school staffing is set and they are unlikely to increase class sizes unless they have to because you live in their area.

Issie

yes i agree ......Thats why we have had our rental booked months ago as it was in the schools catchment area....we don't go until January .

Bobcat

What suburbs have taken your fancy thus far?

wardy2

In defence of schools I dont believe looking at league tables is the best way of deciding on schools, my kids (in the UK) went to the less favourable school in the area we live, and lower down the league table in the city.

Overall though I believe it gives a better all round education and the education is not one dimensional and results at all costs and forget the child involved. Both my boys are doing extremely well both socially and academically and love it. They get the same opportunaties for academic development re gifted and talented to universities as the other school.

As it happens our school has overtook the more favourable school in examination results.

I believe the best way to decide a school is not by looking at statistics but visiting the school talking to teachers and pupils and seeing whats on offer.

I know its difficult choosing a school from the other side and we need all the info we can get but just saying (please dont shout at me ) that not to dismiss schools that appear to be a little lower down the league as you may be missing out.

Kaye (champion of the underdog school)

Ps morning Bobcat