Almo

I didn't know a single person in Melbourne with a boat. Nor did I know anyone who ever went out on one for the day. Conversely, a group of guys I know in Devon are always out and about on the water. I knew a couple who camped a fair bit in Melbourne and I know some people who camp here. I would say that the people I know in the UK are more inclined to get out and about in the great outdoors but that's nothing to do with where they live and everything to do with who they are; no doubt they would be the same if they lived in Australia.

What kind of age were you when you left London? I just wonder whether the changes/differences you note are more to do with a change in your circumstances - I'm inferring from posts of yours I read that you were either childfree or had very young children in the UK. Just a theory, nothing to back it up, but perhaps if you had stayed in the UK your lifestyle, including the type of people you socialise with, might have changed anyway?

Pootle

Ah, I see. Makes more sense now, I hope when you make the move things go more smoothly for your daughter. It's not sixth form here though, high school continues until age 18. And the exchange rate is very poor at the moment, don't think we'd make the move with the current rate either.

BadgeIsBack

Maybe. It depends on the group - I agree there.
I don't make any comments on what might have changed in the UK - or here I have always been fairly active and sought out active people. And certainly having kids changes a lot of people - for a while - or at least impacts to an extent, for x period of time.

The point I might make is that I think it is arguable that Australia is fairly geared to the outdoors - I don't think you can write it off too quickly- and certainly one can not claim it is less outdoorsy than the UK.

If people can't decide - then we come back to the individual and circumstance, naturally!

paddyo

lol......it was tongue in cheek....surely you noticed the end of my post??? Never mind.....your heart is set on something and nothing any of us will say will sway you from that.
I have been to Perth by the way....and my comment stands but I was trying to be jovial about it.
What I will say it do NOT move because of or for your kids, move for the WHOLE family.

paddyo

What they need here is the Bullseye quiz show...always Speedboats on there!

Almo

At the risk of sounding like one of those TV obsessed Brits that people reckon populate the country (I'm not, honestly), there's a new (to me) channel in the UK now called Challenge and they show all the old classics, including Bullseye! Those prizes are quite something to behold now. My favourites are Blockbuster and Crystal Maze though

big_matt

I think this will always come down to personal circumstances. What I do object to is the stereotype that kids are 'stuck indoors' in the UK because due to weather/facilities there is no opportunity for them to be sporty or get outdoors.

That stereotype is continually peddled by that dreadful tv show 'wanted down under' or whatever it's called. Every family on it seems to have kids who have gone from watching tv in their bedrooms in the UK to competing in some kind of junior triathlon in Australia, brought about solely by moving country.

If you look at sport participation figures per person, it's actually really close between the two countries. Gaming console sales per person are also very close between the two countries.

Those two things would suggest to me that kids in both countries are playing similar amounts of computer games and similar amounts of sport.

northernbird

As a matter of interest, did you report the bullying?

Gill73

I did report it, several times. The teacher advised that her class included several girls who were emotionally immature and she was having issues with this before our daughter started. She got one of the girls to write my daughter a letter of apology for her behaviour. Later the same day, the girl cornered my daughter and said she only wrote the letter because the teacher made her and that she still hates her and she should move back to the UK, because nobody wants to be her friend - having pulled her hair just to get the message across.

My daughter was obviously upset and reported this to the teacher. The girl denied doing this when confronted by the teacher and my daughter was told to stop telling tales and told she should try to fit in more!

I spoke to the teacher several times but I could see she couldn't handle the situation or the girls involved. I met the school headmaster and he advised he would take action, but this just meant the bullying was less frequent - not stopped.

Things improved when my daughter moved up a year and I requested that she be placed in a different class to the few girls who wouldn't leave her alone.

It's such a shame because she went from being a happy 8-9 year old who got on well with all her school friends and loved being at school in the UK, to being upset most days and not enjoying school at all. We felt terrible guilt that she was going through this and it's left her with bad memories of what an Australian school is like. Of course, we know that this doesn't happen in every school and every class, but she gets very emotional when we suggest her starting a new high school in Melbourne.

We are not 100% ruling out a move sooner than 4 years, but this is one emotional obstacle that affects our decision.

northernbird

The problem with leaving her to finish high school in the UK is that you then have a 16 year old that will not want to leave. Then you have to time it right that if she enters the school system here it is in time to pick her subjects for year 11 and 12 if she is a University bound child. If she is going to go down the TAFE route then again you will need to time it right to ensure she is here to choose the course she wants, leave it too late and you may have to wait a whole semester.

Sadly she had a bad experience of what I am sure is a wonderful school to most kids, unfortunately a lot of what happened is just typical of girls.

BadgeIsBack

Anyone who says this on this forum gets shot down generally. It's not the kids stuck on their Playstations, it's the adults stuck scared of the rain.

Gill73

I didn't know about high school lasting until children are 18.

What would you suggest is the latest we should leave it, based on schooling, before emigrating? Our daughter is 12 years old and started Year 7 in UK last September at senior school.

In the UK, she would do her GCSE's in years 10 and 11, then look to go to a sixth form.

In Australia, particularly Melbourne, would she sit exams in years 10 and 11 also, then further exams at age 18?

northernbird

It depends what she wants to do. If she is university bound then years 11 and 12 are massively important IMO. VCE is the qualification they study for in Victoria http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/vce...spx?Redirect=1 should give you a bit more information. Personally I wouldn't wait until she was 16 but that's just my own personal opinion.

paddyo

I understand your concern and need to ensure your daughter buys into this, but please do not base everything on her needs. The longer you leave it then the longer she establishes her network of friends to support her in UK. Then..the boyfriends will come along and you try dragging a 16 girl away from her boyfriend to another part of the world!! You will be the most evil parent in the world!
Bullying occurs everywhere but it is given a high priority here now, as I am sure it is in UK. I would rather bring my family here now before they get into the mainstream of academic studies than leave it to later where they will be in a bit of a 'lost world' in a completely different academic system.
What about your OH and the rest of your family? What's their thoughts/needs?

verystormy

I would also mention the nature of university. I employ several UK grads and untill last week i also had a Ozzie summer student. Who was a excellent girl. But the thing we were all in shock of was the poor nature of the teaching she was receiving and the lack of good general education. She is a bright kid, but wow, her course is crap. I do though find the opposite with post grads. Post grad teaching seems pretty decent. Not better than the UK, but on a par usually. Though, all of the post grads i have come across are from the Australian elite unis.