how quick to get them in school !!
 

Hi, i was just wondering how quickly you all managed to get your kids into school when you first arrived?

In order to get them settled and into a routine as soon as poss we are hoping to get our 2 girls into a school within a few days or landing! I think it will benefit them (and us of course :thumbup:) to get them settled and sorted and for them not to think its one big holiday, and cause any unessecary anxiety for when they do have to go.

We are validating for 3 weeks in october and hopefully during that time will have an idea of where we want to settle, and will treat this trip as a holiday to some extent.

Even though when we make the move permanently we will be in a holiday rental for a few weeks whilst we sort out a suitable rental, would we be able to get them in a school in our preferred area (subject to availability) even though there is a good chance the holiday rental wont be in that area?

Just wondered what you guys did in this situation and any recommendations and advice appreciated.

thanks

Re: how quick to get them in school !!
 

Well we landed in late November and found our house in early December so the girls were out of school from 18th November until 28th January and whilst it wasn't ideal it worked for us because First Born really didn't want to be here and it gave us some really good family time, experiencing all the new stuff together.

However getting them into school immediately is very doable. If you visit the schools during your reccie and work out which is best for the children, then land and look for properties. Some schools don't have catchment areas although loads do so it depends on whether the school you decide upon does or not. Finding the rental could take a few weeks though. Whilst it can be a pain in the arse dragging them around house hunting, it also makes them feel involved.

Re: how quick to get them in school !!
 

When you do your validation trip, see how long it takes them to switch onto Perth time, it can take several days when travelling from London. That will give you an idea of the minimum amount of time it will take them to be sleeping at night;).

On your validation trip, try to find a holiday rental in the area you want to settle in - there are lots of holiday homes scattered about, so it might be possible. However, the boundaries around some primary schools are very tight and it may be difficult to find a rental (holiday or long-term) within that zone. If a school doesn't have a boundary, you need to ask yourself why it doesn't;).

Keep an eye on school terms in WA to help with your planning http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/termdates/.

Re: how quick to get them in school !!
 

Ours arrived the end of august and didnt start school til october after the school break..

This was at the suggestion of the school they were enrolled at... Suggested to us that the children needed time to being in a new country and time settling down in australia with tneir family before getting stuck into school...

No rush, no worries... We enjoyed them being school free and when they eventually went they were really looking forward to it...

Re: how quick to get them in school !!
 

thanks all for the advise and experiences. I guess, as suggested, we will see how they adapt to the time difference to start with! and the whole experience generally.

I think if we werent having 3 weeks there in oct i would be more inclined to take things a bit slower, but i dont want them to think they are having another holiday 2nd time round!

I surpose once we also have a look and chat with the schools we will get a better idea of what to do for the best. Just want to make sure we get this bit right for them !

Thanks again

Re: how quick to get them in school !!
 

My girls will hopefully start school within a fortnight of arriving. I think it will help them settle into our new lives.

Re: how quick to get them in school !!
 

Unless you go to private schools and can enrol without a permanent address, you will find that the schools will want to see evidence that you are going to be in their catchment area for more than a holiday rental period. Some schools wont take kids from outside the catchment at all and some may be prepared to negotiate with you for an out of area enrolment but you would be wise to get your rental sorted before you even begin to think about schools.

Once you have your rental sorted then you can walk into the local school and they could pretty much start there and then although most folks give the school a day or two to work out classes and courses etc.

Re: how quick to get them in school !!
 

Our kids went to school within a week of arriving in Australia. My husband came to Australia first and myself and the four kids came 2 months later (he had a job lined up with almost immediate start) He organised a rental house and the school, we thought it would be good to have everything in place before the kids came over, so they would feel more settled and have the opportunity to make friends straightaway.

If i could go back in time i would do it all differently. I would stay in short term accomadation first and would take more time to get used to being in a different country and to relax, and then look at different areas and houses and schools and choose together.

We went by word of mouth and recomendations on the suburb and the school and the children hated the school so much that our first few months were miserable, we ended up moving suburbs and schools within a few months and are very happy and settled now.

Re: how quick to get them in school !!
 

We arrived in Oz on 1st September and my son who had just finished Grade 1 in the UK then didn't start school in Oz until the following January.

We took 8 weeks to find a rental and I made an appointment with the head of his new primary school and my son was going to be the very youngest in his year so it was suggested that I hold him back and let him re-do Grade 1 again.

It was the best decision I every made, it was hard to have two kids with hubbie at work all day and me knowing nobody but I am so glad I didn't rush him back to school. The move etc all took there toll on the children and those few months of plays in the park and no timetables were just bliss and I am so glad that we didn't rush him into anything. He is now one of the oldest in the year and going to start high school next year.

My advice for what it's worth is take your time, have a good look around and don't rush, the terms here in Qld are June school hols and then September school hols I know it's different elsewhere but just take your time and cherish those first few weeks in a new country. Good Luck

Re: how quick to get them in school !!
 

We arrived a few weeks ago and my son started school just a week and half after we arrived (Year 1). We visited the school and spent a few hours looking around and talking to the Principle. We then went back a couple of days later to let my son have a look. He then started the next day!!

So it can be done pretty quickly. My son was great and very excited for the first week or so however in the past few days he been very unsettled which I hope will pass, just taking it one day at a time. He stops on Friday for the two week winter holiday which I think will be a blessing and hopefully he'll be fine when they return to school.:fingerscrossed:

Linz.x

Re: how quick to get them in school !!
 

Every single secondary chool to the South of me in this area has strict catchment guidelines. Consequently the schools around the area where I am... where Inner Melbourne ends and the middle Burbs start, vary greatly. It's very difficult to send your kids to the right school where I live. Our Younger two got in on Musical ability as they were out of zone. The school they are zoned for are full of Ethnic Gangs/Cliques... Schools in Reservoir.

The strangest thing about all of this, the Schools to the South of us that are supposedly out of zone, are closer than the ones they are zoned for...Such is the desperation of the Authorities to get kids from the good and mostly unzoned primary schools in this area, to bolster the Middle region schools.

We probably have the widest differences of schools outcomes in the State in this area... from the some of the best State schools in the Country IE: University High/Princess Hill/Northcote to some of the worst in the State at Box Forest @ Glenroy (I think they may have changed the name to get rid of the stigma) , Or Lakeside and Merrilands in Reservoir and Northland in Preston.

If you find yourself living in around Preston/Coburg/Reservoir or Thornbury... make sure your primary school kid learns a special subject like music or language so as to qualify for the special programs in secondary schools.. If not be prepared to spend 300K plus moving into the zone you require.

It's one of the things that makes this area so interesting to live in. The wide variation of people that live here.