northernbird

I live in the outer suburbs and my school is fantastic. Excellent Principal with a fantastically supportive teaching staff. Funny thing is, a high percentage of outer suburbs schools that perform poorly have a massive element of British students. Yet, if you are to believe what you read on BE they should be performing off the scale

Amazulu

Ah yes, the vastly superior UK system and the millions of little Einsteins it churns out.

Exile

Aren't you the very same northernbird who not so long ago was desperate to get your kids into private religious schools because the local state secondary schools are so dire (even though you live in a suburb that is considered fairly affluent)?

What would you have done if you hadn't got places in private?

I think the thing about British students, if true, perhaps says more about the type of Brits who typically want to emigrate to Perth than British education as a whole.

I'm not trying to say that British schools are all that fantastic, by the way.

The main point I think people need to be aware of is that many state secondary schools in Perth tend to perform much more poorly than the socio-economic level of the suburb might suggest.

northernbird

My suburb is hardly affluent. Yes you are correct, I was desperate to get my girls private because my state option is absolutely dire. In fact other than Clarkson SHS it is the worst performing SHS in the far Northern suburbs. Not something I considered when I bought my house. Bought where I could afford, like most people. I am not sure what I would have done if I hadn't got them in. Moving was discussed although financially we would have struggled with that. My primary school is not dire and I am exceptionally happy with it, shame my kids can't stay there till year 12

What sort of person, in your opinion, typically emigrates to Perth?

hoveactually

That's very interesting. Where can one find the breakdown of ethnicity (other than % of indigenous students) on the Myschool website?

northernbird

You can't. I know what the percentage is in my school and know that other schools further north than me have higher percentages.

For the most part I agree with your view of the education system here. All I am saying is that if the UK system is so superior why are the primary schools with large percentages of UK born and partly educated kids not doing better than they are. You would think their NAPLAN scores would be above average.

Exile

Speaking generally here, but perhaps there is a high proportion of people who don't value education, who attach more value to big houses and swimming pools, who've made a mess of their lives in the UK and think it's gone to the dogs and want more sunshine and hot weather.

For better or worse, there seems to be a connection between socioeconomic standing and educational outcomes. In general, people in high socioeconomic groups in the UK with successful lives are less likely to chuck it all in to move to Perth. There are many exceptions of course. But in general, I suspect that migration from the UK is skewed toward the lower end of the education scale, and I think that might be a factor behind what you said about the underperformance of schools with lots of Brits in (if true). Just a theory.

There are lots of very expensive, massive, super-ostentatious houses round the golf club where you live. Looks quite affluent to me (or has it gone to the dogs since I was last there?).

hoveactually

As the NAPLAN results show average scores, without a breakdown for each of the domains by nationality for each band, it is impossible to know how British educated children are performing. It would be very interesting to know though.

northernbird

Gone to the dogs since I bought here, nowhere near the golf course btw! Hideous houses and if I had that sort of money I would be living in North Beach not here.

When you say lower end of the education scale I guess you must mean those without degrees. Lots of people are very successful in their chosen fields without degrees and were not brought up on the local equivalent to Moss Side.

It is just a theory of mine regarding northern suburbs primary school performance, my own school doesn't perform that well in NAPLAN and we have a massive % of british born students.

hoveactually

What is massive? According to Myschool "8% of students were born in the UK"

northernbird

Old blurb on that, I think it is at least double that now. I will ask the question when I go to work tomorrow.

PoppetUK

And would it be possible to assess children who have recently arrived. I certainly expect it to take a few months for my kids to adjust if we move back.

PoppetUK

I don't expect the UK to be an easy place to live but the general competition must have some impact on how one views education. I think the attitude of it'll be alright comes from less competition for jobs and survival. Mind you I'm not very well educated so I could be wrong.

Exile

I don't really mean degrees. I'm just thinking of parents who don't attach much importance to education and therefore don't encourage their children.

Most people posting on this site about education obviously value it highly, which is why their children are more likely to do well wherever they go.

Exile

I moved back to the UK a couple of years ago, and life does feel like a big competition at times, especially when it comes to getting your kids into good schools.