uk+kiwi

I know this is stating the obvious, but it's important to compare like with like in these situations. For starters, it isn't clear from your post (unless I missed it!) whether your daughter went to private school in the UK? Which personally I feel could explain the difference. Or it could be a whole mix of factors.

Also, 'streams' simply show how children compare against each other - the middle group might all be straight A students and thus achieve better results than a 'top group' elsewhere. This will be due to many factors including a difference in standards/teaching/ability of the year group/school intake etc. Her private school may have selective entry which could mean all the pupils are much brighter than in a non selective school for instance.

Socio-economic statistics of the areas in which different schools are located also affect academic achievement. So a school in a more affulent area of Aus compared to one in a more average area of the UK will generally have brighter kids who achieve better results. According to evidence, not my opinion, I should point out.

So whilst I know you have not generalised about one education being better than another, it is vital for others not to draw conclusions that may be thoroughly inaccurate.

robclaridge

Ello again.... Yes...I think it was rapsody? Who addressed the question of OP correctly. As to the other comments made above...some valid...some not. My daughter(s) went to state school in the UK. Here in Australia there is more choice between Private and State. The private schools here in Qlds receive the same funding from government. But if you exercise your right to top up the fees you can secure places in private schools which as we know tend to attract better facilities. Note i do not say class of student! The terms per year are around 3400 dollars each...but thats for both daughters! So say 14000 dollars a year which is around 6000 pounds roughly! 3000 pounds each. In the grand scheme of things thats nothing! Its not for the elite. It has the sons and daughters of taxi drivers cleaners and business owners, some make bigger sacrafices than others! The rules are pretty draconian.. your'd never get away with it in the UK! no makeup no dyed hair, uniform worn as designed etc. But the parents, students my girls and I love it. The ethos is fit in and behave like a decent person or f**k off. Before i get the detractors saying 'wha 'bout endividul wights m8,.... please... don't go there... quoting rights of the thugs etc etc. EVERYONE conforms eventually. Feel free to your own opinions. We're not loaded, comfortable - but not loaded. Others may share different experiences and thats fine. But as a teacher knowing that a lot of parents in the UK did not even know their children. ' No, that wasn't my johnny who was stabbing the other kid in the arm... he's so upset by it, to think he would even do that!.. (Ok then misses X, I was blind and the other kid wasn't gushing blood all over me from 2 feet away!). I'm sure not all Oz schools are great and nor were all UK schools bad. (To the contary). But on balance they are much better here.

St.Georges Girl

Some parts are better than others, just like anywhere, but it's home for me. Hertfordshire is an enormous county. We lived near the borders of North London, so within easy reach of Central London, which we liked.

I just cannot agree with you on this. There are alot of parents here in WA who are the same as the type you have mentioned. My son was badly bullied for a number of years, both in state and private schools. One parent who was a lawyer, threatened to sue the schools student principal because he just wouldn't have it that his son had been the instigator and the biggest bully, despite their being 5 witnesses. He wrote a dreadfully threatening letter to the school board, so he too was behaving like a bully.

When you say, "on balance the schools are much better here", do you mean in Queensland or all over Australia and what are you basing this on? I worked in primary schools for 8 years as a special needs teachers assistant in England and was horrified when I first helped as a volunteer in a primary school here. The lack of discipline was unbelievable and the noise level incredible. My son was very unhappy. There didn't appear to be any structure and the work they were doing was way below what he had been doing back home.

simongb

Stuff happens everywhere. You cannot say the UK is all bad and Australia/Canada/US is all good. I work in a school in the US, I know it's not 'all good' here. It's the parents that make the children.

Wendy

If you are finding it hard to talk without arguing about it, have you thought of writing it all down instead?

Both make a list of the pro's and con's of staying and returning. Then go to seperate rooms and read them.

When you've done that, sit down together and go through each point on both lists one at a time and see if you can both come up with a way around that issue. The rules need to be that neither of you shouts or undermines the others opinon.

It might make the choice easier or it may make you more confused, but at least you will both be aware of what it is the other person is worried about, and may just make you realise what is important to you both as a couple - which in turn may make your decision easier.

St.Georges Girl

Absolutely.

I made a list once and handed it to my OH to browse through when he was away working, because I just knew we'd argue at the first hurdle and end up not talking for days if he was here. My list consisted of my my likes and dislikes, just so he knew that I wasn't anti Australia so couldn't throw that in my face. He was away for 2 weeks and didn't mention it once to me when he phoned, neither did he mention it when he got back. About a week later I decided I couldn't hold back any longer, I was bursting to know what he thought of it. I had asked him to write down his thoughts as and when he read each bit so then we'd have something to discuss, know each others views on things etc. So when we were alone, I tentatively asked if he'd like to talk about the list/letter spelling out my feelings I'd given him before he went away. He looked at me slightly confused and said, "What list?" He had completely forgotten about it, so needless to say it all ended with me in tears, telling him that he's now confirmed that he doesn't give a shit. I won't be doing that again in a hurry.

Wendy

Typical man

brits1

Agree with everything you say....after 10 years here is it worth paying the price for the weather....summertime here is one of the least times anybody seems to venture out....to hot...to many flies.....etc....
Jackie

lorids

I would definitely agree with you on this and really caution posters not to post sweeping statements like 'on balance the schools are much better here'!! Other than personal belief what is it based on?

We moved from private (UK) to private (WA) and knew within weeks it wasn't a patch on the UK as did the children and we are returning to the UK in February. This is based on our previous experience, our values and expectations from an education system. This will be different for every family and vary depending on both your UK and Australian experience. Also to group Australian education under one term is also very dangerous and misleading. The variability and differences in education from state to state is staggering. Outcomes cannot even be compared. Like the UK it can be so dependant on geographic location and often 'luck o' the 'heedie'!

Some members really believe all they read and unless you have objective evidence and not just your own anecdotal experiences then please be careful how you phrase things. It certainly is very valuable getting peoples experiences and people do get passionate in their beliefs but let's keep the big picture in mind and stop trying to find the one solution for all..it's not there.

brits1

I also helped in schools in England...and on the hole it was a wonderful experience.....teachers had teachers aids and parents were glad to come in to help.... I did the same here and could not believe how the children spoke to teachers and visa versa....both my sons have been bullied here...it was awful...just because they dressed nicely and had different accents.....it made them strong people now whom we are wonderfully proud of......these schools my sons attended were in "very" nice suburbs......nothing happend at all like this at home in England....people say we were lucky...I say it is because teachers are teachers back home...you called them by their surnames.....did not get overly friendly with them but they were there whenever you needed a word etc....here it's all first name terms...and a lot of parents help on P & C's here sometimes just to enable their children to be in the "better" classes etc....and please don't tell me that does not go on....it's rampant!!!! I helped in the school canteen....in the classrooms (not to get my sons in better classes with the best teachers etc).....just because I used to love doing that in England.....not here though....
Jackie

brits1

I remember our youngest sons first asembly here in Perth, he was in year 1 and was not chosen to read aloud which was fine but I was horried when I listened to some of the children...they could not string two words together....I was worried right from the start.....my other son was in year 3 and his teacher was wonderful, he had taught at schools in the U.K (he was Australian) and he told me that our oldest son was very far advanced than the children in his class.....we asked what would happen and he said nothing....they just wait until the other children catch up.....and that is the truth...luckily he would give our son extra work after school and also do maths as he did in the U.K (we had bought all his current school books with us and even the principal was impressed that our son was already doing long mulitplications and also long division....it was scarey......) so role a number of years forward.....we still have to bright boys..but they are not at the standard of our families and friends children in the U.K.....my son in year 11 will not have any qual until he finishes year 12 (tee's) which I think is not right.....the should sit similiar exams to GSCE'S at some stage as a lot of children in Aus leave with no formal quals.....even after 10 or 11 years at school.....were is the sense in that?
Jackie

Wendy

That's disgusting I hope you moved your child to a different school. What an attitude for a school to have!

northernbird

It certainly didn't happen to my kids thats for sure. My daughter excels in English and has a few hours enrichment programme a week separate from the rest of the class. I can't praise my primary school enough in their attitudes to both my children.

Wendy

It did a little in my daughters last school, they just moved her up a year to compensate - but that wasn't ideal as she was way out of her depth with the age gap.

The school she's in now though have been brilliant. They have the same core lessons every morning, like PE, reading etc and then they have the afternoon split into groups according to ability (maths, english etc). The homework her teacher sets is also set for each child, rather than the whole class.

She has a new teacher this year, hopefully she'll be just as good as her last one.

ezzie

I spoke to one of my friends in England today and she mentioned she'd just done 6 months as a teacher's aide in a UK high school. I might add we'd been nurses together and she was a no-nonsense, very together woman...well it apparently killed her, the lack of control, abuse etc, in the end she had to leave as it was affecting her health. She said it was like going into a war zone every day.

However, experiences I hear about Primary schools in the UK are just amazingly brilliant with kids zinging along to carefully planned lessons.

In which case...what's happening to UK high schools? I know teens are far more challenging, but it does seem to be worse in the UK. My kids here are in private & public high schools, in well-behaved classes and the two at a the public high school could not be receiving a better academic level of education...for us, it's a concern about returning to a UK high school.