toetickler

Hello, i have read on another emigration site that the secondaryschool system is considered a joke and no better than the english system. The teaching ethos is just do enough to pass the exams, but the exams are not highly regarded outside of new zealand and better sit the intermational baccalaureate or cambridge board exams. This is someone writing from his child having just sat her level 3 exams.

Any help on this as it has completly dampened the spirtis.

eddie_nz

hang on so your expecting a school system miles better than the UK one????

If you really want some fun check out the costs of uni education ;-)

Charlie Paynter

But I suggest get a balanced comparison and convert the cost into sterling, then compare the cost of Uni here in the UK. Why? Because usually NZ graduates come over to the UK and hence earn £'s.

eddie_nz

Grads go to the UK because there is no way on earth they can earn enough in NZ to pay off their degrees.

Essentially the costs of Uni force them overseas

Nice policy that one

Black Sheep

Toetickler, sorry to further dampen your spirits, but I would have to agree that the secondary (and primary for that matter) school system (we're talking 'state' system here of course - which is not 'free' by the way) is a joke, an absolute joke. There are too many reasons for that for me to go into here at the moment, but one major one consists of three words: Tall Poppy Syndrome. If your children are bright and/or you want your children to have the best education possible, NZ is NOT the place to bring them up - unless PERHAPS you have loads of money and can afford to put them into private schooling, but even then that's no guarantee (as it usually would be in UK) that they'll be getting a top rate education.

I feel, to the point of actual depression, that I've let my children down by bringing them to New Zealand. They are (or were anyway) extremely intelligent children with a wonderful thirst for knowledge, but the school system here has pretty much 'cured' them of this 'anomaly'. My eldest is the sort who would have gained full scholarships to top UK public schools if he had continued the way he was going 'back home', he was (and still is) always at the very top of his classes - highest scorer in exams, etc... But 'top of class' here is meaningless, academic achievement is not valued and so talent and intelligence (giftedness) in students are not only not looked for, recognized or understood, they're actually discouraged as they make a child 'stand out' - which just won't do in a Tall Poppy Syndrome culture like New Zealand's. The raison d'etre of schools here is pretty much just to pull students either down or up to 'average', no less and no more. Whether or not one's child is naturally academic minded and/or in the ranks of top achievers at school (most children aren't), the presumption in UK is that one will still always want and expect the best education possible for the child - one certainly doesn't purposely 'aim low' there. But here? The most important message your kids will get at school here is that academics really don't matter. Neither of my kids has had one single school text book in 5 1/2 years, not one. It's considered here that once the student leaves school at 3 p.m., it's too much to ask them to study or further their learning during 'home time'. My youngest never has homework, and the elder has it once a week but is forgiven for not doing it, so often DOESN'T do it. And so on and on and on and on....

There will be a fair number of people on this forum I'd hazard who couldn't care less about all of that though, let's not forget that Tall Poppy Syndrome does favour those in the middle and, especially, those at the bottom (as it will bring the lowest 25% up to 'average')! So you have to be very careful WHO you ask about the schools & school system here - just remind yourself that someone whose child fared poorly in a UK school may very well be thrilled to find that their child can manage at the lower standard schools here in NZ, and may therefore give a very deceptively glowing report about the NZ school system.... (I have lots of experience of schools in UK, USA and in numerous countries abroad, and have already put one child into one of the top USA univeristies on a full academic scholarship. NZ schools are the worst I've ever seen anywhere in the world, and no way either of my younger two could ever hope to gain entry to a top university in UK or USA , much less earn a scholarship to one, after schooling solely at even the so-called 'best' state primary and secondary schools here in Christchurch.)

P.S. If anyone in UK had any idea what exactly my eldest's one-and-only 'homework' assignment consists of each week, I have no doubt they would be shocked - IF they believed me! When I'm ready to start burning my bridges, which will be very soon please god, I'll give details!

eddie_nz

woah and I thought I was pessmistic

toetickler

Well thanks for being honsest, i am now going to go and have a good hard think about all this. It's funny though because i came across the other article bt chance and i have never heard anythng so negative about the school system. I've always heard good but expensive. Thanks any way. Rosie

iwannagonow

OMG!!! That sounds awful!!

I was always led to believe the school system was pretty good in NZ...is this just one person's opinion...or is it really that bad??

I'm getting a little worried now, as my 2 boys (10 & 5) are actually quite bright & are top of their classes (they get it from me...obviously!! ) & I want to give them the best opportunity I can....although unfortunately we cannot afford private education!

eddie_nz

Remember schools are catchment area based as well.

So if you want a really really good state say Rangatokyo or Ak Grammer (Auckland ones) , its a nose bleed for a house.

If you haven't saved for uni your 10 year old will go overseas in about 12 years, and might come back one day, and that is a very big might.

iwannagonow

I'd best start saving now then...I don't want him to leave his old Mum!!

eddie_nz

Indeed

The thing is we're all going down the route of an American user pays higher education method.

However in America you have a child and you immediately start saving for college fees. 21 years and the joys of compound interest and works out.

People here and in the UK just haven't got their heads around that.

If its medicine start thinking about 60K NZD per child

jads

Wow, that sounds pretty negative. How old are your children?
Do they feel as if they are missing out being in NZ or are they glad not being pushed to the limit.
How much are Uni fees in NZ.

Cheers Jads

M-Squared

That's about one-fifth of the cost of a degree in the US. Non-medicine.

UKNZAUS

I'm sorry to say but I agree with Black Sheep!

My son has been to 2 schools here, the first one he was only at for a couple of months before we moved away so I can't really comment, but from what I saw I liked that school.

This one... well... I'll not name and shame because others have their kids there etc. but it's a decile 9 school and came recommended. We have had uniforms stolen and no attempt whatsoever in helping retrieve it ($40 sweater on Day 3 of school year), my son this year has had 3 teachers, 2 of which 'job share' so we never know who he has until they show up, and then one of those likes to text a lot and she puts DVDs on for the kids... nothing educational about Disney movies My son is 11 and should be getting his head down being educated. He has one homework sheet a week which has a few sums on it, a couple of anagrams and a couple of other crap bits, if he doesn't do it it's ok because it's "not important"

My son has never brought home a text book neither, he doesn't have reading books from school, he does 20 spellings a week that I'd expect from a 7 year old.

I think it does depend on what you expect from a school - me I expect my son to be pushed academically... how else do you learn?! They have no shame in pushing him into sports and kapa haka...

Welly Wife

Wow !!!

My experience this far with my 10 year has been fabulous. As for homework ... he has at least 100 maths questions and 3 peices of written work each week plus a spelling list of about 15 words. It is issued on a Monday and has to be submitted by Friday morning. Parents can write a note if extra curricular activities have caused a problem in a particular week but on the whole the expectation is that it will be done. Those who do not complete the work or do not do it to a high enough standard have to attend homework club on a Monday lunchtime. My son had to do this for poor writing. He basically had to write it all out again but legibly.

The written work usually includes some sort of research on the net so I am learning too!!!

We have been very satisified this far. I do have concerns for college though as there is not a lot of choice locally so he may have to travel either into central Wellington or up the coast to Kapiti.

Will have to do some serious research nearer the time.

Sorry for those of you who have not been impressed with your childs education.