Desire

I certainly have worries about my childrens education here.
My youngest (9) doesn't do any x tables, not much English.
Just seems to be about sport and having fun.
Hubby and i print off math/English sheets from the computer.
Just to keep her stimulated.
Dont get me wrong, i havn't got a problem encouraging or helping my children. Beginning to wonder what they achieve the 6 hours that they are there.

Gibbo

The problem with education in Australia is that it is State based, therefore generalized statements on education in Australia should not be made. My suggestion is if you are not happy with what your child is achieving is to seek an interview with the school Principal and state your concerns. I have been involved with education in NSW for many years and in the beginning had similar concerns. However over the years things have improved and now I consider the education in this State to be as good as anywhere in the World.

MikeStanton

To quote you "I've never read so much garbage in all my life!!"

Let's talk specifics. We sent our children to both public and 2 of the best private schools in NSW. We were appalled how little our children were taught. It is only since returning to the UK that they have begun to receive a proper education.

Oh, and we did used to speak to the teachers. However, there aren't too many polite ways of saying "Do you actually teach anything here?" I also remember taking a so-called science teacher to task who didn't even understand the scientific method.

The output of Oz schools may be good enough for call centres or the University of Skippy, but heaven forbid if they have to compete in the real world....

Quokka

Amazing where all the qualified Australians working overseas come from then..

denver

Hi Mandy,

I have experience as teacher in both countries (originally in Perth, now in London) and I would say the level of work depends on the teacher and the school. The behavior of the kids at achool is much, much worse in England (at comprehensives anyway) much more respect for authority in Oz. I pushed my students in Australia and there is not as much spoon feeding of information in Oz either. One thing though is that most english kids will do work in every lesson, there are some really lazy ones in Oz. Like all parents you should be supervising their homework and dont believe the old "haven't got any" routine, at the very least they should be revising. Exams at upper high school level in Oz very hard.

Hope this helps, and I don't think I have my rose coloured glasses on!


We currently live in Melbourne, since reading some threads about education I have found myself increasing worrried about my childrens future. Yesterday I was quizzing a friends 16 daughter who has been here for two years on how she thought the school work in Australia compared with England, she said that the school work was much more harder in England, and thought they were a lot slacker in Australia. I have discusse this with my hubby, but unfortunately he thinks I have rose coloured glasses on regarding the UK and I don't trust his judgement because I believe he would say anything to stay here.

Any advice or opinion would be appreciated.

Mandy[/QUOTE]

Caroline G

This worries me to.

My child is only 3.5 years old but would have been attending nursery and pre-school at a younger age and for longer sessions with government financial assistance in the UK.

Luckily, my son attends a kinder which has a good reputation but we have to pay $200 per school term and the learning is all play based. We were lucky to get him in when we arrived and I know other parents who could only get a place at other kinders for 1 day a week. When we registered I gave the kinder teacher my son's book which contained details of his, 'milestones' and how/when they were proven. She seemed quite impressed with the format and asked to photocopy it.

When he's 4yrs old he will attend 3 sessions a week totalling 11hrs. Cost $180 per school term. I will shortly attend the 'tour' and find out how the 4yr old program differs from the 3yr old one (if it does at all)

There has been alot in the news recently about the government not providing enough assistance with pre-school education. I do think the children are able and want to learn so much and get bored with being at home.

Also, from the main carers perspective, I used to work 2 days a week in the UK while my Mum looked after my son. I really enjoyed working and appreciated the days with my son all the more. I felt really happy with the work/Mummy balance. I have tried looking for a p/time job in Oz but found that most companies want someone to work 4-5 days a week for a few hours each day. OK once they are in school but I don't want him in full time care and this is not cost effective when taking into account the salary less the day care costs. Most day care centres will charge you a full day even if you collect your child early.

My husbands life in Oz has not changed much as he's doing the 9am 'til 5pm still but my life would be quite different.

Both myself and husband have been teaching our son counting, the alphabet and phonics and he is enjoying learning and taking it on board well. He's even started subraction himself. He's so ready to soak up information and learning if it's there to be had like most children of his age. There is a local private company that teaches phonics which I may enrol him in when he's 4yrs.

I am particulary concerned about secondary school education from what I've heard but obviously that is a way off but I still want to be prepared in order to make a decision about where my son will be best off long term. He may not even turn out to be academic but it's about choice really.

I've also noticed that the UK has cbeebies which is educational as well as entertaining for the little ones. Alot of the cbeebies programmes are on ABC kids in the mornings. I can't stand the cartoon network, lots of bashing and no education

Do you think the standard of education depends on the state, area and individual school at the end of the day?

Desire

I have two daughters 11 & 9, both attend the same school.
My eldest daughters teacher is great. My youngest daughters teacher is useless. Like i have said before in the last 6 weeks she had done maths once and an example of that.. 10 + 30 or 60 + 40. The only x tables they are learning are 2s,5s,and 10s.
When my daughter started there, she was asked by her teacher not to do joined up writing. When i went into the classroom for a chat about it, i told her teacher that my daughter had been doing joined up writing for the 18 months in the UK and actually found it quite hard to change back. Her reply was that we wern't in the UK anymore and she was to do what the other pupils are doing. Thats fine but just last week my daughter came home with a sheet of joined up writing glued in her book to copy. I asked her if the teacher had shown them how to do it. She replied "No, she said we just have to copy it!"

denver

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Beyond high school, look beyond Oz.[/QUOTE]

Australia has 8/9 universities in the top 100 in the world (not bad for a country of 20 million)

denver

The output of Oz schools may be good enough for call centres or the University of Skippy, but heaven forbid if they have to compete in the real world....[/QUOTE]

You crack me up Mike, you are actually delusional. Aussies have been working all over the world for years, even here in the mighty UK. My Aussie friends here are accountants, human resource managers, bankers, engineers, all competing in the "real world" as you put it. In fact, UK businesses snap them up, strange considering they are the product of an inferior Oz education system.

Eric Hitchmo

An Aussie teacher who can't figure out how to use quote tags.

Your professional "friends" - there must be *some* intelligent Aussies. No surprise that they've moved over here though.

MikeStanton

Dear Burning Cross,

Talk of being deluded. Most Oz universities are, at best, 2nd or 3rd rate. In the best quoted list, the Shanghai List, Oz has only 2 universities in the Top 100, at #56 and #82. Mmmmm, sounds like they provide a top notch education. Given the quality of your research, I presume you flunked their entrance exams.

Even Switzerland has more unis in the Top 100. But who needs an education when there's footy and beer.

Perhaps they should recast the Top 100 to include only those universities attended by white, Anglo Saxon protestants? That sounds more up your street.

woodyinoz

For those that are in OZ, how are your kids doing with regards to exams..

I will be interested to see where my kids are at in the UK in a few months although there are a few subjects not covered here the same is true in reverse. All I know that my niece who came out a few months ago and has been at school for 2 years in the UK is very far behind where my daughter is after 18 months of school in OZ. I was surprised to see that she couldn't read and had very little interest in all aspects of education.

I know that I am lucky and my girls are well above their expected level in all subjects according to the aims tests. How true these test are I don't know. Maybe I have been lucky in the state school that we chose or maybe we haven't had unrealistic expectations of our children and we have let them go at their own pace.

uk+kiwi

I have no idea how good or otherwise education is in Aus, however I wanted to reply to your comment about your niece.

Unfortunately, a child that can't read after being at school in the UK for 2 years (ie the end of Year 1, by which most children would be 6) would be very behind the national standards expected for their age group. I would be extremely surprised if their parents were not in fact aware of this, as I would expect that this child may be classified as having 'special needs'. (I say this knowing 2 of my daughter's friends in this position with 'special needs statements' yet reading.)

The minimum requirement for children after ONE year in school (ie end of reception year, kids aged 4-5) is to be able to read the 45 sight recognition words set out in The National Curriculum for Reception. So by the end of Year 1 it would be expected that they could read more than this.

Of course averages cover a huge range in ability. A very strong reader at the end of Year 1 could tackle the likes of Harry Potter, a weak reader a 12 page book with pictures and a few words per page for example. The average for this age group would obviously be somewhere between these two extremes.

My youngest daughter started school in September and her reading books have about 6/8 pages with 3/4 or so words per page. She can read (small amounts) quite well and given that most of the children in her class still have picture reading books without any words, I was surprised that her teacher commented that she doesn't read with much expression in her voice!! At least she has high expectations.

Hope that has been of some help - Carmen.

woodyinoz

Her mother has had worries but the school policies as other schools are now adopting is that children do not need to read before the age of 7.

I have to say that maybe some of the pressure should be taken away from Primary kids and let them play and socialise for a few years. Maybe then we will stop seeing the messed up teenagers that are common place now.

I for one can remember that Primary was a place of fun. Pottery, painting, planting very much filled the days and I think that it is a shame that in the UK young children are put under so much academic pressure.

uk+kiwi

I totally agree, although as I seem to recall from my early school years, the academic standards 25-30 or so years ago were still high, but I suspect the delivery was on average much more fun, relaxed and enjoyable, perhaps because there wasn't so much pressure (planning/testing/record keeping) on the teachers?? Just a thought.

Children do need to be allowed to be children, but also to be stimulated and challenged in and outside school according to their ability, strengths and interests. They do say young children are like sponges which is just so true.

Re: reading - children are tested on their reading skills in Year 2 in the UK which is the school year in which they turn 7. However the standard expected for children of this age is reasonably high so if kids can't read before they are 7, then they'll struggle with the standards set out for those tests. Reading has also been linked to success in many areas of schooling, so it is important for children to get a lot of help in those early (infant) years to avoid exacerbated problems later on. Having said that, Einstein couldn't read until he was about 8. There is always an exception and we all worry far too much these days about everything! Additionally, the US National Academy of Education Commission on Reading says that reading aloud to children is the single most important activity for ensuring success in learning to read. So there is some very easy to adopt help for your niece. All the best.