Hi,

Our son is ready to go to kindergarden and we are currently trying to decide which of the North Shore schools would be best for him. We are currently tossing up between Wahroonga Public School and North Turramurra Public School. We have visited both and Wahroonga seems very big and we have read reports on this forum of bullying and not the most supportive teaching environment. North Turramurra is much smaller and seems to have a much more personal atmosphere. I was wondering if anyone had any comments on either. Our son did have some bullying at a daycare centre and we are very wary of this and just want a fun and supportive environment for him to start his education.



Any help would be greatly appreciated

Many Thanks Dawn

Sorry I'm no help - I was going to suggest Killara High but I see that your son is about to start Primary School not High School.

Have you tried to My Schools website? Not sure of the link but try googling it.

I grew up in Chatswood and my sister went to Roseville Public School which was terrible for her. So you have to be really careful - obviously. Her problem at school was that virtually everyone else in her class was rich, blonde, had a stay at home mum, had married parents, went to the Anglican Church etc. My family is...not like that - so she stood out like a sore thumb and had no friends.

Not sure how long you have been here etc, which schools are you in the catchment areas for? if you have options for both the schools you mention then go with the one you have a better gut feel for. If planning to be in the area for a long time also look at what senior schools these primaries mostly feed to. Obviously that might be a different choice later if going private.

Schools can be diffrent for different children, don't be too worried on your choice you can always move them but also look at the P&C activities and see which ones fit with your family, it is way to be involved with the school life of the child and find a bit more about how it all goes for them.

Good luck in your choice

We were at one point going to move to that area and found the Bush School, more closer to Hornsby and it seemed fantastic but not sure how convenient it would be for you.

The Bush school is aka Wahroonga Public School - it confuses many, it does have a good rep for many but obviously does not suit all.

Hi Dawn,

We live in Killara and, in my view, you'd be hard pushed to find a bad public school for your child on the North Shore. Now, some schools suit some families better than others and, as a rule, I would always recommend going to your local public school unless there's a reason for not doing so as it encourages you to become part of your community and makes your life easier later on when you need to drop off early/late for band/soccer/chess/whatever.

My advice would be to arrange a tour at any school that you're interested in, this certainly narrowed down the field when we were in your shoes - we knew straight away that one school wouldn't suit our children. Ask the school about their staff retention rate, access to the teachers, what the school's communication is like, how active their P&C is, ask to see a copy of their annual report and make sure they show you a kindergarten class in action on the way round.

For us, we chose a smaller school as we liked the community feel but there are drawbacks to it too (any problems are hard to escape!). Like I said, have a walk round them and that'll help you with you decision.

Good Luck!

Oh, and if bullying is something that worries you particularly then ask them about their policies too. xx.

Hi Dawn- did you make a decision regarding the schools?
We are looking at upper North Shore, moving over in Jan and are also looking to move near to a good school to suit our 9,9, and 4 year olds.
Unfortunately, we are unable to see any of the schools in action as we will be flying over from the UK in the middle of Jan and have been told all the schools will be closed so feel a little anxious about it.
The bullying that has been mentioned is a little concerning, as I have not really come across this in the UK. Is this a common occurrence, and just the usual power struggle with boys or worse?

Any advice would be helpful.

Forget the concerns about bullying, its only mentioned because over here it is NOT tolerated. Look, in life things happen, bullying may happen, its the way things go, in UK bullying in rife via youtube, facebook etc and this country is not different.
Just be open minded and make a decision when you get here, do not get bogged down with overly protective issues which really detract from sensible decisoon making.
As I always say, its the whole family moving, not just the kids...so look for a location which suits you all, the school will fall into place easily..trust me, I'm a doctor!!