Biddy

For what it's worth: we have 3 children at primary school on the Kapiti coast and have absolutely no concerns over their education at this stage. Can't speak as yet for college - 3 years to go.
Kids have homework - not tons admittedly but enough to get them thinking. More that that there is so much going on at school. It is a lovely environment to be in too. Some small amounts of bullying but many more examples of kids looking after each other in buddy groups and whanaus.
Focus is split between academic, physical and artistic activities and I feel is allowing our kids to develop into well rounded people.
Maybe we're lucky - who knows? But to say the education system here is crap full stop is ridiculous.

WheelsOfSteel

NZ knocks UK off top school perch 2007

Justcol

jesus what aload of moaning buggers we have here.
If you want your kids to have a purely accademic shool life then
dont bring them to NZ.
I've got two boys who were both at grammer school in the uk and
like black sheep were doing very very well. the problem was they were
living in a shithole country with crime going through the roof, the cost of living
was rocketing every month to the point where we could hardly manage with
two good salaries coming in and next to no mortgage. The whole ethos of respect
had gone and there is no future for the uk, it has become the arsehole of the world.
Education is important but kids need more.
My two are both doing very well here, high scores, top of the class..etc..etc.
Do i have any regrets. . . . . . . . errrr. . . . . no.

wannabekiwi

Oh dear.....
to be perfectly honest I can't wait to get my kids out of the UK school system and into the NZ one. Why?
To focus more on being kids, not having to sit exams at the age of 6 (in year 2) and not having so much home work to stop them from doing more important things . I know the length of a school day will be similar but I do hope they will get more enjoyment out of it than in the UK! I am also pleased that my son will repeat 6 months of his school year.
And now the boring bit....
I grew up in Germany, started at the age of 6 (3 months prior my 7th birthday) in primary school. School started at 8am and finished between 12 and 1pm (even as a teenager). It didn't harm me or my quality and outcome of my education.
I suspect the reason why the UK starts the kids at an age of 4 (!!!!!) and keeps them there for almost a whole day is because they want the mums to get back to work, so it's cheap childcare and pushes the economy up but at what price?
I want to teach my kids other values in life and the academic skills will get more focused on when the good character and social skills have been developed well.
After all it is quite an achievment for them to adjust and integrate into a new country & community & mentality & culture & way of life!
Great character building in my opinion.

Justcol

Your spot on there wannabe, it is character building and
character is what the uk system doesnt want. It wants drones
and it gets them, kids who cant think for themselves but can
pass any exam you stick in front of them because they've spent
a lifetime doing just that.
I've seen kids coming out from SATS tests in tears because both parents and
teachers have built them up to such a point that any kid who doesnt ace them
is going to feel like a failiure.
How can it be right that a 7 or 11 year old can feel they have screwed up so badly
that they are reduced to tears?
So to all those moaning about the nz school system i say this, shut up or ship out.
It isn't perfect but you have a choice.
its no wonder kiwis still think of us as whinging poms.

Can i add if the parents have a good education ethos and that
is passed onto the kids they wil find a good balance between home and
school and will understand the importance of both.
Do your job as a good parent and help your kids instead of moaning.

mkumar

UK education - too many tests, league tables and schools trying to out-do each other. The focus tends to be to "learn this as it will come up in the exam".

NZ education - Kids learn what they want (NCEA route), so the flexibility is there, as well as the kids own motivation.
NZ education offers the International GCSE and Cambridge exams, so shouldn't affect international recognition.
The kids are streamed and not setted so could affect the high-ability, but I have seen plenty of motivated kids do well. Most are highly mannered too.

Margaret Parkinson

I agree. My grandson was terrified of the SATS and my daughter had to get him home tuition when he was 7 & again when he was 11 because the teachers would tell her he was not going to pass them so he would come home in tears. He did but whether he would have done without the extra help who knows. Consequently he always hated school.

Since being in NZ he has not have that pressure and now does not mind going to school (he's 16) so he will leave this year.

June

sr71

There is a comparison of the UK system vs NZ on the 6pm news tonight (TV1) if anyone is interested.

Black Sheep

t

Thanks, looks like I read this post just in time to catch it on the news.

I'm curious to see from what premise they will be comparing: a) that NZ schools are as good or better (test scores etc), or b) that UK schools are better (test scores again, but testing methods looked at critically)? Or will they show the strengths and weaknesses (as they see it) for both systems? Will they take into account that many (possibly most) of the highest test scorers in many NZ schools are from, and have been previously schooled, abroad? Will they compare the systems purely from a NZ point of view, or will there be a British point of view that is aired as well? Should be interesting.

weejie

Can anyone help,bit OT but related to schools! We are hoping to be in NZ start of Jan and I know the schools are off on summer hols. My boys are presently in p4 ( age 8,born June 2000) and p2 ( age 5, born Nov 2002 so will be 6 soon). Can anyone tell me if they will start the new term in p4 and p2 or will they go into p5 and p3? They are both very bright,get extra extension homework for maths and reading so if it is the latter then feel they will cope well. On the other hand, maybe repeating stuff they know might help them settle in better? Have so much to think of so little time to do it!! Thanks in advance

Phyllis x

Am Loolah

Hi Phyllis,

I believe this varies from school to school. We made the conscious decision with all of ours to not put them up a year despite them bizarrely being very bright! Not from me clearly. We wanted to remove any academic pressure whilst they settled with the move. We felt this was particularly important for the two older ones who as teenagers were more stressed about starting over in a new school.

My youngest's birthday is also November 2002, she will be 6 in 3 weeks and she is in Year 1. She will go in to Year 2 in February - when your youngest should too.

weejie

Thanks,thought this might be the case. May have a problem with the older one trying to explain why he has to repeat 2 terms of p4!! The younger probably won't care as he is definitely more laid back.

Phyllis x

Am Loolah

As I say, he may not have to, it'll probably be up to you and the school to decide what's for the best!

janek

I like this one;

http://schools.bvsd.org/monarchhigh/.../streemin.html

southerner

Just explain its different here - Year 4 isn't P4, the curriculum is different and he'll be with kids his own age. There will be stuff in the first year he's here that he has already covered, and there will be stuff that the kids here might have covered already that he'll miss out on, and have to catch up with.

Unfortunately due to 'pushy parents who know best' most of the flexibility within NZ schools to allow kids to be advanced a year has been whittled away. For example, our school now has a strict 1 April cutoff for birthdays. Still, it is possible to shop around for different policies at different schools, if that is the more important thing to you.

<<please note I'm not implying anyone on here is a pushy parent, but I do know of a few who have made it hard for teachers to more generally do the right thing>>