Deley

Hi,
We are considering if New Zealand is where we want to go and live but at this stage not even sure if they would have us.
My parents have recently gone to live in NZ and joined with my sister and her family who have been living in NZ for 6 years. So now my parents have gone we now want to see if its something we could do but its important for us not to let our heart rule our heads and follow my family out to NZ blindly. It has to be the right move for my family too and one of my concerns is about the education in NZ.
I have two boys age 5 & 6 and here in the UK they attend a very good school with high standards (maybe bit too much pressure sometimes?!?).
Can anyone give me a bit of insight into New Zealand schools and how they compare to here in the UK? Would my children be getting a better education in New Zealand? Would be great to hear from anyone who can give tell me their experiences and maybe some teachers who used to teach in the UK who now teach in NZ.
Thank you in advance
Adele

pricklykina

probably won't get better education here..it might be comparable though.
There are loads of threads already about this so have a troll through.

There is certainly a different focus in primary and is less academic than the uk. this may change with the new standards however. But a less academic focus is not necessarily a bad thing...just different. A wise man said on another thread "don't judge a cake while it's half baked" so you need to consider the whole education system through to 18 if you want to judge how it works.

Good luck with your big decisions

Heavenlyscent

If your children are in good schools in the Uk then I would stay where you are. Having had 4 children move to NZ and back again, I can certainly say that the emphasis on a structured, academic education in NZ is just not there..

new life

I agree with this view... I have friends who mkoved to NZ just over a year ago with 2 boys who were in a top private school over here... they are very happy with the education they are now getting for free (almost) in NZ and say its the best education they have had! The boys are both exceptionally bright but hadn't enjoyed a day at school until they went to NZ... The change in emphasis from the high pressure to more fun learning has worked wonders. You can also find private schools in NZ that offer the international qualifications that some top uk schools are moving towards if that may be an option for you? The fees for these schools are a fraction of the uk cost. Of course everyone is different!

Him and Me

I have a 5 yr old in School over here (NZ)...he's come on leaps and bounds since starting there, the school and teachers are just great and theres less pressure on them to perform and get results

He's got a big play area in his play ground, a veggie garden that all the kids get to plant, care for and bring home when grown.

He's made friends there and his teacher is even in the process of connecting the class with my sons old class back in the uk via e-mail which my son thinks fantastic

I have heard a mix report from others about the NZ education system but i have to say so far i'm very impressed with it all

donki

we moved to beautiful NZ five years ago then having a nine and seven year old, after living in a large village in th UK where the girls went to the village primary then onto the local and only secondary school(both were very good) i was very suprised at having a choice foe my childrens education lots of children dont just opt for the local school many in fact travel quite a way for a ggod school especially when they get to the Intermediate level.

the education system is very relaxed which you can see in the teachers faces.
i think if you have the type of child who is prepared to motivate themselves you sholud have no real problem if you have a child who is ok with being the class clown then they'll get no real push from the teachers. my youngest was known as her class job doer she loved it cos thats the kind of person she is , it just isnt the best for an education.

my eldest was always in the GATE programmes and in her intermediate school was in the ILC class (independant learning class )

basically there is no pressure like in the Uk the kids can run to school shoe-less and actually grow up as kids should do, play in the school after school use the school pool etc etc etc

turkeys

the kids can run to school shoe-less

Not sure that is a positive thing, especially in Lower Hutt in winter. We had issues with our kids' first school, but we switched to a bigger school with far more opportunities, clubs etc. and they are very settled there. Both schools do not have the same academic emphasis as the one they attended in the UK. In my experience the NZ curriculum is pointing in the same direction as the UK one though - lifelong, confident learners, all that stuff. Its just that they have a more relaxed way of getting there.

weejie

My boys aged 9 and 7 have blossomed in NZ. My eldest has grown in confidence and is doing things I never thought he would.....speaking in front of school assemblies,appearing in school "dance" videos. They also have the chance to play lots of sports if they choose...rugby,soccer( football to me still!!),tee ball( softball),mininball ( basketball),flippa( water polo),swimming,hockey all at school. They are loving school and ,in my opinion, it may not be as scholastic based as UK the boys are allowed to be kids and are encouraged a lot more here.

Phyl x

Justcol

Theres more to life than worrying about your kids education.
As brits we are ANAL about "good schools" when if the truth be told the standard
of education in the uk is going down hill FAST.
My boys both left a "good" selective entry grammer school in the uk and after a
short period of adjustment settled into the NZ system without any problems.
Things are different here,it isnt the UK and never will be.
As a parent i was so happy to see my kids (14 + 17 when we arrived) develop as people when
we settled in NZ. They were expected to no more than teenage boys. The pressures imposed
by the state and society in the uk forces our kids to grow up to fast. They deserve better than
fretful parents who stress about SATS results and meaningless tests and exams that are forced
on them fron such tender ages.
Personally i am stunned that you are worrying about kids aged 5 & 6 being in "good schools" its ridiculous.
kids of that age should be taught how to be kids not how to be accademics.
If at their ages you hold their accademic education so highly i wouldnt think NZ is the place for you.

crap coffee

Well said. I agree with MUCH of what you say.

If you are SERIOUS about high academic standards and expectations ..then just stay in UK - possibly Oxford or Cambridge ............ or move to America - Boston somewhere... Certainly NOt Nz....

Having said that my dad wasn't serious about our education. He said we moved to here because of life style... no other reason.

Mgee

I can't comment on the British school system, but the PISA study is an objective study done in all of the OECD countries: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Program...ent_Assessment

The PISA study is the most comprehensive and comparative international study there is, and it measures how well 15-year-old students can apply their knowledge in real-life context. NZ is doing quite well on the list.

lapsed kiwi

Useful data there. I can't understand why people who move from UK to NZ get so stressed that their kids are doing work "behind" what they were doing in UK. The results at school leaving age are good (as the studies above show), so what does it matter if they get there by a slightly different academic route? My oldest has just started his second year of primary and we are very happy with all aspects of his school. We also (esp my wife) spend a lot of time helping him and teaching him, and he has been read stories every day since before he could sit upright unaided.
Personally, I went to school in NZ from age 8 to 17. When I started my engineering degree (in UK), I found myself well-prepared by my NZ schooling.
I think that with some parental respnsibility, the NZ system is perfectly capable of turning out well-educated, well-rounded school leavers.

Justcol

with the emphasis on well rounded which is one thing uk schools have lost the ability to do.
My eldest boy has finished his education here and has had no trouble getting a
university place in the uk and the youngest is happier, more inquisitive,more mature
and confident than he ever was under the uk system.
I want my kids to grow up happy with a good understanding of the world around them
I want to see them develop the ability to take risks and not be afraid of failure,
UK schools cant do that anymore as they themselves are so frightenend
of not reaching targets and looking good in league tables
for the nz system from me

j19fmm

I think you need to look beyond the first few years of education, look at what school leavers are achieving in NZ. True, if you don't have support from home and a certain amount of drive you won't achieve anywhere.
My daughter is in the second year of secondary education here in the UK. The school has just been put into Special Measures...the Principal left before the results were made public and there is a caretaker Principal in situ.
Despite all the problems at the school my daughter is doing really well, (better than I did at my Private School !!) but on Tuesday she takes the first part of her Spanish GCSE a benefit for the school and it's data, value added etc, but a heck of a pressure on her.
She longs to be in a NZ school like her cousins

j19fmm

Sorry OP but on a lighter note...you might want to check your spelling of NEW ZEALAND