Hi all

Please can anyone help......my husband, 2 children (4 and 2) are emigrating to Melbourne early 2012. We are now looking into schooling but have come across many different stories for school ages. My eldest will be 5 when we arrive.
What age do children in Melbourne start school?
Any info welcome, thank you.

The school year starts in January. I THINK that Victoria wide, generally the start age is 6 but much like the UK, birth dates make a difference. There is also kinder.

In Victoria the official cutoff date for starting school is 30th April. If your child is 5 before the 30th April, then they can start school in Jan/Feb of that year. If they're 5 after 30th April, then they start in Jan/Feb the following year.

This means that the age they can officially start school varies from 4 years and 9 months to 5 years and 9 months - depending on when their birthday is . You will find that, in practice, many parents of children with March or April birthdays will voluntarily hold them back till the next year - to avoid them being the youngest in the year.

Thank you very much for the info, greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much for the help. My eldest will be 5 in may, so he will then go when he is 5years 8months, making him one of the eldest. (just getting my head around the age difference)

He starts school here in the uk in September, so will then go from being at school to being home with me for potentially a year. Oh no......let's hope I can entertain him

What about pre school? Do you have this in oz? Is it government funded or do parents pay? Sorry for the questions.

Hi Hayley, our twins also have a May birthday so they started school when they were 5 years 8 months. There is both 3 and 4 year pre-school. 3 year is voluntary and is not state funded. 4 year is part of the state education program and is subsidised. It is important for your child to do 4 year kinder as they get a report from then which is given to their school, all about what they have done at pre-school and what they might need from school.

Places at 4 year old kinder are limited, however your son being one of the older ones will be more likely to get a place of choice.

BB

Excellent thanks very much, so much clearer now! That's good that will can still get him (hopefully) a place in kinder before he starts school. Is the kinder year the same as school.....jan-dec? Then I can take younger boy to parent toddler groups and hopefully find some friends thanks very much for all your help.

Child care is all year round and tends to be based on baby/toddler/preschool age groups but in Australia the formal academic year is always Jan - December for all age groups

Thank you for the info. Such great help guys

Hayley, you will have no problem meeting other mums at pre-school pick up time but if you want to form closer relationships quicker I recommend you get involved with some volunteering, like being on the committee for the pre-school for instance.

BB

My children's school was built in Victorian times so it is easily over 100 years old - hope that helps! Can't determine an exact school-age without checking.

Gee mate it's a bit early in the day! You been drinking already?

BB

Lovely, thank you. Quite an outgoing person and can chat all day so that's in my favour! Like getting involved with activities too so fingers crossed......school committee sounds like I good idea.....I'll add that to my big long list of things. Thanks again

Not exactly the info I was after but thank you for taking the time to reply.