MartinH

Sorry if this question has been asked before but I tried the search and couldn't obviously see an answer.

We are currently 'negotiating' a move to Perth (with my current employer). We have children aged 13 and 9 and while we've been to Australia before we have not visited WA.

Clearly good schooling is a priority and I wanted to ask whether there is a universal agreement on where the best schools are in the Perth Area. We are looking at public schools but would also be prepared to pay some money (subject to definition - my definition is approximately 50% of my wife's ) if we thought they (the children) would gain a real benefit. We would be particularly interested in schools with strong modern language credentials as both of the children are fluent in German.

As I will be working on down town Perth a reasonable commuting distance would be nice too!

Go Banana's !!

Saw no-one had replied and I didn't want you to think we are ignoring you, it's just this question is almost impossible to answer and we live here!!

There is no one area that has all the best schools.

As you can imagine there are hundreds of schools in WA, State, Private mid range price aprox $2,000 per annum and then the top wack ones at $12k.

Each state school teaches different languages and everyone you talk to will give you a different slant on a school.

Sorry this is no help, you need to get out here and do the research and be more specific.

Beware in WA state schools they are VERY strick on catchment areas. Private obviously is not the same.

We are going private and one reason is that to get her into a good state senior school we would have to move !! (she is at primary at the mo and we are building in that area which got her into the school)

One thing I will add is Duncraige High gets a good write up, but that's as much as I know.

Someone else may be able to help more

Jill

sj oldfield

Kinross College is very good.

walla

which suburb do you hope to settle in then maybe I can help

MartinH

We plan to come over and have a good look around once (if!) the job offer is confirmed. So far all our research has been web-based and only based on that we think that the northern suburbs are more likely and ideally in a mid-priced area as near to the beach as we can reasonably afford! The areas that look good so far are Kallaroo, Hillary's and Duncraig and maybe as far as Joondalup. Don't know if this is too general?

walla

Can't help, sorry, I live in the southern suburbs....

Zebra4

For consistency in state senior schools then you can't go past Rossmoyne. You have to live in the catchment area and it is south of the river. Applecross SHS is also south of the city.

renth

St Mark's in Hillarys is a good moderately priced private school. The waiting list is very long for entry at the "traditional" points i.e. junior school start, high school start but you might have better luck coming in a an "in between" year.

One of my BIGGEST REGRETS about our recce trip in 2002 was not getting my kids on the waiting list, even though it costs money (non refundable) to get their names on.

letsgoperth.com.au

We have ours down for St Stephens in Carramar and Lake Joondalup - both co-ed schools. For an example Lake Joondalup fees are $2570 for primary and $3882 for secondary. St Stephens is $2380 for Primary and $3452 for secondary per year. You can put them down on the list for high school at Duncraig St Stephens which we have done also in case we move down the coast a bit more! - no chance with the primary where most people have had their kids down since birth.

Lake Joondalup is first come first served but St Stephens give priority to religious families - two thirds of the places in fact and the last third is first come first served or sibling priority.

Hope this helps - I am not going stress if they have to do state primary but wouldn't want them to go state after that (no offence to anyone just my personal choice).

Maxine

MartinH

Thanks for the tips so far everyone

Siren & Brian

Mid price range? So about $400,000 or $200,000 its going to make a huge difference to where you can live. Up here as previous poeple have said, St Stephans is a very good schools but getting in can be very hard. My daughter goes to Duncraig SHS and I am extremely happy. The younger kids go to Glengarry PS which is in Duncraig and find the teachers do take an interest.

lynnbrooks

Do you have to put your kids' names on the list even for state schools,or just private?
We haven't got enough money to send ours to private, also could you please tell me if highschool kids in Currumbine go to clarkson,ocean reef or kinross colledge,can't tell what the catchment for this area would be........tnanx
Lynn

MartinH

Ideally (?!?) we want to live in a four bed house reasonably near the ocean and from what I have seen so far that means around the $500,000 mark.

Siren & Brian

Well for that price you can choose where you live up in the Northern Suburbs. As others have said its going to come dopwn to personal choice. I love where I live in Duncraig and am only 5 minutes from the beach, but what I like and you will be totally different.

movetoperth

While i agree that schooling is very important and making sure the kids are happy in school is equally important I often wonder if some people put too much emphasis on finding the right school before they even step off the plane. I have seen many families come here and only look in areas that are within the catchment for certain schools, they have been so "school" focused they havent stopped to consider the differences in areas, ie hills over coast, north over south etc..... they just get here desperate to get there kids into a school that has been recommended to them, in a city (or even a country) they have never visited. I have often thought of what would be important to me if i was to buy a house in the city where i was born and raised....... schools probably wouldnt be top of my list.

Keep an open mind and explore the whole area when you get here, it has so much to offer.

L