Does Canada have the same 'grammar school desperation'?
 

Hi all

OH due out to Calgary next month, if the TWP ever turns up. Looking at the news this morning seems like the grammar school/decent school scrum is beginning yet again. Does Canada have this problem? Seems as though parents get themselves into a total lather if they don't get their child into the 'right school'. Were we live in the UK it is either grammar school or failing school - I really would like to hear of your experiences of schooling in Canada.

Thanks very much.

Re: Does Canada have the same 'grammar school desperation'?
 

No.

These threads may help:
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Re: Does Canada have the same 'grammar school desperation'?
 

These Wiki articles also may help:
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Re: Does Canada have the same 'grammar school desperation'?
 

Posters here will mostly say "no" but I queued from Friday night to Monday morning one February to get my child's name down for the better local school and I wasn't nearly at the front of the queue. We also misrepresented the religion of the children (that's common in ON) and the address at which the children lived (less common but not unique). Rather than "no" I think the answer is "depends on location within Canada".

Re: Does Canada have the same 'grammar school desperation'?
 

When we moved to Ottawa, one of our main reasons for choosing to live on the Quebec side of the river was that it gave us access to heavily subsidised private schooling.

Re: Does Canada have the same 'grammar school desperation'?
 

Adverts for houses very often mention the school district, in the Beach area just the side of the road the house is on makes a huge difference to the value of the property due to the perceived difference in school quality. And,
now that I think of it, I know several parents who lied about their native language in order to get their kids into a school thought to be desirable. It's definitely competitive around here.

Re: Does Canada have the same 'grammar school desperation'?
 

Glad to see you are coming to Calgary. So the system here is really simple. You find a nice house in a nice area where you want to live. You phone the school board and your kid goes to the local school. :thumbsup:

There are a few private school which are great schools at a great price. My experience is if you buy in a nice area, then chances are neighbours are reasonable, kids are reasonable and thus school is reasonable. Buy in a poorer area and sometimes its not as good.

House prices do not vary for school attachement areas, most realtors don't know or are not bothered to find which are the local schools, because no one is bothered.

Local league tables and results in Cochrane did not even get into the newspaper. I am told by my friend that on parent interviews, they are lucky to get a third of parents to turn up:confused:


It is not that the parents do not care, they care enough to send them to school. If your child is bright and motivated then he/she will do well. If they are not, then they won't. I find teachers do not push your child to do really well, they are not parnoid about getting everyone to pass the exams, because there is no ofsted or no one is bothered at exam results.

Is the canadain system better for that. To answer that I look at the UK system where every year you get better results, but it seems the standards are dropping.

Re: Does Canada have the same 'grammar school desperation'?
 

I actually slightly disagree with Judy about Calgary here. I think Its not nearly nearly nearly as bad as the grammer school thing at 11 if you live in grammer school area- its not nearly as bad as parents buying loads of coaching won't sort it and the pressure to get in isn't academic performance related. And the Calgarians aren't nearly as obsessed with school performance.

BUT there is something called Charter schools here and also traditional learning in the public (state) school system. The Charters often have wait lists for years and are intensely over subscribed. The traditional learning schools (think the way I was educated at school) seem very popular, parents have to sign a charter to commit to the amount of homework (which is a lot) and to get in, due to oversubscription there is a lottery system. Funnily enough these traditional learning schools do not necessarily out perform other schools, but my guess is the perception is they do. I have met a family very keen to send their son to the school, lost the lottery in KG and miraculously got a lottery place for Grade 1. The bottlenecks for these systems are at KG/Grade 1. We missed spanish bilingual as we arrived at the wrong time of year and it was over full. I am not 100% convinced we would have gone for it- but we never had the option.

One of the charter schools _ westmount -is for 'gifted' children. I know a little boy who applied at Grade 1 and am really glad for him he didn't get in as its miles away and what this boy really needs is local friends. My friend has taught there , locum, and was told by a class of grade 1s, that 'we know that- we are gifted' imagine that!!!!

There is also a state run 'gifted' programme at grade 4 , but I have heard no real mention of people trying to get their kids onto it. In fact I have heard of one or two, who on balance turn it down.

So parents are more accepting of the 'local' school, but in my view they pre select that by moving to areas initially, lots of areas around calgary, certainly huge great swathes of the NW, lack the affordable housing that is scattered across every village and town in the UK. So the choice is made much earlier, eg 'do I want my children to go to Forest Lawn, and live in an area with high crime or shall I move to a more cosy suburb with a higher percentage of owner occupiers who fit into our wage bracket'

Plus you shouldn't interpret being less intense about school selection as being less interested in their education.

Gryphea

Re: Does Canada have the same 'grammar school desperation'?
 

Ive not witnessed any school board driven housing premium here, but away from the major cites the schoolboard catchment areas are so huge its never really going to be a factor anyway I suspect...that and the fact that there are no stupid league tables here to differentiate schools by.

Re: Does Canada have the same 'grammar school desperation'?
 

I get the impression that some schools in Calgary and the surrounding towns have a stronger emphasis on some subjects, ie, a more sporty school, a more science school, a more arty school. But this also seems to be fairly subtle, and it's not as if the schools go all out to promote this. These are the only times that I am aware that parents have tried to switch schools and requested changes based on the fact that Bobby is good at football or hockey or drama, etc. (There are a couple of schools more directed at very high academics or gifted students I believe, and if you believe that this would be your option, then some more homework would be needed. )

Otherwise, I pick up that virtually all parents are pretty happy to run with the normal course here, and that is to feed to your local school. I am not aware of a 'scrum' when the child moves up to High School. We have three High Schools where I live. One is smaller, newer and Catholic and that requires that the parents make a specific choice. On current info, I would be happy for my children to go to either of the other High Schools - one has a slightly stronger academic record, and the other seems more arts based. At the moment there is no 'choice' for me to make, but either establishment would suit. I do not envy my friends in the UK this year :blink:

Re: Does Canada have the same 'grammar school desperation'?
 

Ugh!

Re: Does Canada have the same 'grammar school desperation'?
 

<cough> ..... Fraser Institute ....... <cough>

Seriously, if you ARE driven by results and league tables there is a source ..... http://www.fraserinstitute.org/repor...ce/alberta.htm

.... but personally I feel that this only provides a "snapshot" of one aspect of schooling, and is not a reliable tool taken on on its own. It has its limitations.

Re: Does Canada have the same 'grammar school desperation'?
 

The obsession with schooling is an "English" disease in my opinion. Most children, whether their parents like it or not, are going to fall within a relatively narrow band of either side of average no matter how "good" a school they go to. How many truly "bad" schools are there in England? A handful, if that.

A bright kid will remain bright and a not very clever kid will remain not very clever despite the school they go to. Whilst I accept that some bright kids will diminish to a certain extent and some not very clever kids will improve if they go to one of the extreme cases of schools, you will not turn a kid with the "intelligence level" of an average binman, into a doctor, irrespective of what school they go to. Sorry for the lack of political corrrectness, but that is the reality of it.

Rather than obsess about what job the person gets, why not just be happy for them if they are happy and assist them to live without the insecurity that they haven't got the "right" job?

I really don't care what job my children get, as long as they are happy.

Re: Does Canada have the same 'grammar school desperation'?
 

PS

I would strongly advise if you have youngish children moving to a community with its own school- rather than moving somewhere that buses kids

I think this helps you and them settle more quickly

Gryphea

Re: Does Canada have the same 'grammar school desperation'?
 

How?

Won't all the other kids be bussed (sp?) to the same school?