happydays71

Hi. I was hoping someone could give me some local opinion on schools on the Redcliffe Peninsular. I have spent ages reading forums on the pitfalls and merits of private vs state including the religious element of both.

It seems that both offer a religious content (although ironically it seems that the private schools offer the most generic religious teaching) and although we are not a religious family, a general grounding is good. Also, there's a general consensus that state schools have more of a reputation for bullying and mis-behaving, which provides distraction from the focus on teaching.

Our kids are 4 and 1, so it's not hugely important to get them in to an academically excelling school. However, you always want to give them a good start and we don't want to move them from one school to another, constantly trying to find the best, as that will obviously have a negative impact elsewhere.

So....If anyone knows about the reputations and general opinions of the schools on the Redcliffe Peninsular, or have kids going to any of them, I would love to hear about it please. We're hoping to move out in September.

Schools we're currently looking at are:

Southern Cross Catholic College,
Clontarf Beach State School,
Humpybong State School,
Scarborough Primary School.

Please let me know about any that I've missed. Thanks a lot.

Pollyana

We've got friends at Grace Lutheran Primary School, they are very happy with it - so are their kids

www.graceprimary.qld.edu.au

The Bloke

Friends, you mean BIL and SIL?

happydays71

Thanks for your info Pollyana. Just out of curiosity, can you tell me if your friends are worshipping Lutherans, or some other denomination - if any? Thanks.

yvonnemidwife

just wanted to say hi, i have 2 girls aged 1 yr and 5yr, we too are looking to move to redcliffe area so your thread is excellent lets hope we get some advice, good luck x

moneypenny20

To hell with how good they are, I'd have to send mine to Humpybong just for the amusement factor Sorry

happydays71

Hi yvonnemidwife, thanks for the reply. We've got Annual Reports from the 5 main schools, which show average scores of slightly-above for the private schools and slightly-below for the state schools, but it's got to be down to more than that so hopefully we'll get some more info. Nice to speak to someone in the same boat. If I find any more info on other forums I'll let you know.

happydays71

I'm right there with you! With a name like Humpybong (and the fact that the playing fields overlook the sea), we'd almost made our mind up there and then!

Machiavelli

Hi! I spent the day with my friends from the Peninsula today.

They are concerned that the new "high" at their kids school is Year 7 girls who are 'cool' self mutilating, by cutting. Apparently, last years 'cool' Year 7 girls did it, and this year's Year 7 want to emulate them.

I was appalled, more especially, when one of my friends said that "it was only a fad!"

When I got home, South of Redcliffe, I went on to the internet to read the news, and the latest 'craze' here in Australia is 'crushing'! Apparently, children sit on other children's chest area, or lots of children use their hands to push into the chest area of one child, to take them to the point of not being able to breathe and then get up, relieving the chest area and allowing the 'crushed' child a moment of euphoria, (sp?). Pine Rivers High School was mentioned in the article.

Don't get me wrong, we are loving, (in the most), our new lives here, but it seems like the old "QLD, 20 years behind!", may not turn out to be the Utopia we had hoped for, but just a delayed time for children to experience what we brought ours away from, but for their children to have to live through in the future.

M

happydays71

Wow...not the positive cheery response I expected . Thanks for the info though...I shall look in to it. Kids seem to get up to all sorts of crazy sh*t these days - whereever you are - but when it's some form of self mutilation or asphyxiation it certainly can't be disregarded in the hope it will go away on it's own. Isn't raising kids fun!?

yvonnemidwife

thank you would appreciate all help i can get, which 5 have you looked at, which private perform well cheers x

happydays71

The 5 are:

State:
Humpybong
Clontarf Beach
Scarborough

Private:
Southern Cross Caotholic College
Grace Lutheran

I've attached the latest Annual Reports from each of their websites. There's a section in the middle of each one comparing scores against the QLD average. See what you think....

Machiavelli

Sorry! I thought you wanted information on Peninsula schools.

It might be better for you to experience them for yourself, rather than ask the opinion of those who are already near the area or who know people who have children in schools on the Peninsula.

M

happydays71

I apologise if that last comment came across as unappreciative - that certainly wasn't my intention.

Unfortunately, we're still in the UK at the moment, so this is my only way to get word-of-mouth on the schools in the peninsular - which, good or bad, is as valuable as facts and figures. Thanks for the heads-up. I need all the info I can get - warts 'n' all - as I'd like to be armed with as much info as possible before I commit our 4 year old to one of them.