Hi Everyone
I've just found out that we are all moving to Perth in January for a year or so due to my husbands job! It's fantastic news, but I have 4 children ages 7, 4, 2 and 1. Can anyone recommend any good state primary schools and areas to live in which are close to public transport for my husband to get to the CBD please. How do I start about enrolling my children in to school/kindergarten? Can I do it from the UK? As we are only coming for a year I would rather get into a good school immediately and not move the children if possible from one to another. I've been told that the north west area of Perth is nice? We would like to make the most of the experience and join in with the australians as much as possible. Any help anyone can give me is very much appreciated as it's all come as a bit of a shock here.
Best regards
Vickie
I'm in Leeming which is well served by primary and high schools with good reputations. We're near Bull Creek and Willeton, south of the river but only 15 min drive away to the city - non rush hour (took me 30 mins to Claremont in rush hour and takes hubby 45 to malaga in the mornings). It will only take about 11 mins to the city by train when the rail link opens), It's an older suburb and has a well established community feel to it. It's only about 20 mins drive to Freo (acutually 17 on a sunday 'cos we timed it - how sad is that? lol)
I was corresponding with the principle of Leeming Primary before we arrived and actually registered the children before we got here. Do remember, that schools are going to break up in the next few weeks for their summer hols and won't be returning until Feb 4th. Check out aussiemove.com which gives you links to schools in the different suburbs. My youngest is 8 (7 when we arrived) and he loves school here and genuinely enjoys going, he's achieving academically as well as he did before (he's year 2 but in a mixed class of year 2/3) but also has more enthusiasm which was lacking before in the UK.
Ali
__________________ I am toopositive to be doubtful, too optimistic to be fearful and too determined to be defeated!
Hi Ali
Thanks for your message. Sorry I didn't reply yesterday but I forgot my username. doh! When do the primary schools break up for christmas? Is it true that depending on the type of visa we get we'll have to pay for state education? If so , do you know roughly how much? As the company is organising all this I'm not too sure if they are aware of it. Many thanks for your help.
Vickie
We lived in Fremantle last year and had kids at Richmond primary School East Fremantle. It is a fairly small primary. I would highly recommend it. The staff have great interaction with the kids and have lots of fun, the parents were all really friendly. My son used to get up at 5.30am get dressed desperate to get to school. (School didn't start till 8.30) I think that says a great deal about how he felt.
East Fremantle is a beautiful area and easy to get a train from Freo or north freo to CBD in 1/2 hour.
Good luck
You don't pay anything if it's a perm res visa, but pay if its a temp visa (but I'm afraid I don't know how much as we came on a 136). My children break up on the 13th December but I know some are breaking up a week earlier.
__________________ I am toopositive to be doubtful, too optimistic to be fearful and too determined to be defeated!
Its most likely you will be on a 457 visa if you are getting company sponsorship. In that case you don't pay for state education. there are contributions everone has to pay and books to buy, this is different for each year/school. its about$350 per year aprox.
Thank you for that info. I'm kinda not able to do anything at the moment as contracts aren't going to be signed until w/c Dec 10th and then I guess the schools will have broken up for christmas. I'm not even too sure where the office is, I'm gessing the CBD. We would like to only have to get 1 car whilst we are there so my husband is hopefully going to commute in on public transport.
Vickie
How do I start about enrolling my children in to school/kindergarten? Can I do it from the UK?
G'day
You probably need to get an address here first.
I you want your kids to go to State schools here, the schools your children will go to will be determined by where you live. There are no school fees payable in WA regardless of your visa but there may be a small (optional) amenity fee of a few hundred dollars per child.
If you want to send your kids to fee paying (private) schools you can live anywhere you like and enroll anywhere you like.
Thank you for replying. I would like to walk to school and i guess until we get there then we can't decide where to live, but any recommendations would be great. We would like a family friendly suburb, close to public transport with a good primary school and nursery school for the youngest. Is there such a thing as the aussie equivalent of the NCT so I can meet other mums with toddlers ?
Thanks for all your help.
I am Ladislas Roche, the brother of Félicité and Audoin who came at yours for a babby-sitting and I would like to send you an e-mail because I am going to Maidenhead in june.
Could you send me your new Australian e-mail please
Best regards
