GSAI

Hi all

As the search facility is broken, I thought I would post a new thread.

Can anyone please advise / give their opinions of the best nurseries and primary schools in the north shore area.

I presume that public schools are free to international students living in the correct zone?

Any info would be much appreciated.

Regards

Graham

jmh

I take it you mean state schools not public schools in the British sense. Technically schools are free but they are allowed to request 'donations'. Schools are decile rated which is assigned based on the economic profile of the catchment area. Schools in expensive areas tend to be decile 10, schools in poorer areas tend to be lower decile. These figures do not necessarily reflect the quality of education so you should look up their ERO report to get a better picture. Donations vary quite widely. Lower decile schools get more government funding so don't usually charge any fees, high decile schools charge quite high fees. One mother on this forum kept their daughter out of school because the fees were so high so you should check if this is going to be an issue. Don't automatically assume a decile 10 school is superior. If you live in the catchment area for a decile 10 school not only will the 'donations' be high but rents, prices etc will all be higher.

You will have show evidence that your children are here legally.

I don't know much about nursery or kindergarten. These are called ECE. I don't think they are free though. Someone else will have to advise.

bearskin

Graham

I think you'll find that NZ is just a teensy bit less obsessed with 'which school is best' compared to the UK.

Schools here are classified by their 'decile' - some sort of socio-economic rating (I'm sure a google will deliver it's true definition) - it is usually relative to the type of suburb the school services - for example, schools here in Torbay are 'Decile 10' - meaning we are all posh with big houses and 4WDs in the double garage. Whereas less salubrious 'burbs might be rated down towards 1 or 2.

The truth with schooling is that it largely depends upon the teacher your precious gets, rather than the school overall. The quality of teaching will be way more relevant than the decile rating of the establishment. Decile 1 schools will have some amazing teachers operating within their walls.

Another thing to consider is the make-up of the school population - again, reflective of the area's inhabitants. For example, some schools may be largely asian or pacific island students and someone may not be comfortable with that.

pippalonghorn

Hi there,

Looking back on my time here I wished we had rented in an area where the schools were a lower decile. Check around in the areas where you want to be. We needed to be closer to Hubbys work and when we arrived here there was a shortage of rental properties in the area. We chose one of the smallest and cheapest flats but unfortunately the school zone we were in was decile 10. Alot of the houses near to us are very large posh ones (our flat sticks out like a sore thumb).

I would agree with the other posters - a lower decile rating does not mean your child will have to compromise on education.

John2014

Thanks Pippa

Did you have to pay a "Donation" for your schooling? If so, what kind of costs are involved? I presume that it varies from suburb to suburb.....

Once a resident, is this still applicable?

Not heard of this before so all new to me (state school with a hint of private costs......)

Kind regards

Graham

pippalonghorn

Hi Graham. I am the one that a previous poster mentioned. I decided to home school my daughter. There were a couple more reasons why I made this decision. We had agreed that we were going to return to the UK around the time my little one was due to start school over here. She is 5 years old. All children are required to be in school by the age of 6 here. I didnt want her to start school, then be off from December to February for xmas summer holidays, then start back to school to be pulled out of school again. Too much change for a 5 year old for me to be comfortable with. So I am home schooling.

Our local school is a decile 10. They asked for a voluntary contribution of $450. When I mentioned to the head that we were struggling financially she said we could pay it monthly or weekly. They say it is a voluntary payment but I dont think it is really. You pay this amount yearly wether you are a resident or not.

BEVS

Hi there.
Are you meaning NZ state schools rather than public schools please?
If so, I'll adjust the thread title for you.

GSAI

Hi BEVS / Pippa

Thank you for your response.

When I refer to public schools, I am referring to a UK public school which I understand is a NZ state school.....

Interesting to read that decile 10 schools are not always best, I suppose its the territory in which they exist but I will be sure to do some further research before opting for a residential / school area.

Graham

jmh

The equivalent of a UK public school in NZ is called a private school which involves paying fees.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_...nited_Kingdom)

gazmac

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...uckland_Region

Im not the biggest fan of Wikipedia as a reference but this page has a lot of information in the one place that may prove helpful.

As much as the decile rating appears to be based on the incomes of those who live in the surrounding area I agree that this may not reflect the standard of education. It may however reflect the social standing of those who your child goes to school with.

BEVS

......Um.

Public schools in the UK would be fee paying schools. That would be private schools here.

Are you looking for a state school?

j19fmm

The Decile 7 High School my children attend request $180 per child per year. As there are also subject fees to pay for things like Tech subjects I have delayed paying it, no one has made any comments yet!

marblep

Hi, my child attends a local public school. We pay $80 per year. If she was to attend a private school - it would be adding 00's to the $80. I've heard figures of $10,000 per term. I can't confirm, it's not a thing I'll ever know about.

UK Public school = NZ Private school

UK State school = NZ Public school

Oh, and we're always willing to contribute to our school. It helps everyone. If you can afford it, pay it.

Woodlea

Hear hear, however that is not the prevalent view and lots that can afford it don't pay it on principle and I agree, however it makes it more and more expensive for those that do pay it (you and me), it's a vicious circle and it should be banned!

j19fmm

I have found NZ schools to be underfunded by the Govt here, more funding would equal not having to ask for contributions.