Bob1

Freddies is $5,000 a year approx as are the other private school down that way. if you have two kids thta equates to $10,000+ a year which equates to $800 a month that you could use on rent money to get in the catchment area of a really good govt school.

I teach on the OU course through Curtin Uni in Perth, it is education for students training to be teachers. Anyone can enrol but there is quite a high drop out rate the first study period when students realise they can't cope with full time work and study and a family, or the level is just too hard.

All the schools between Kwinana and Mandurah are shockers, high staff turn on, terrible Year 12 results . Go private and several of the private schools aren't great. Google school comparison statistics curriculum council and look at their report.

From the Australian Dyslexic Association website - Dyslexia is recognised in Australian under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) and under the Human Rights Commission. The issue with schools is that dyslexia needs to be recognised under the special needs section in every Education Act in Australia for additional funding as is the case with NSW.The Australian Working Party have produced an excellent document "Helping People with Dyslexia: A National Agenda" which outlines key recommendations. The ADA supports this worthwhile document and the governments written response to the working party clearly states that dyslexia is a recognised disability in Australia. My son is dyslexic, identified in Year 2, received addition modifications in Primary. learning support in High School, use of a laptop from Year 8, extra time in all exams including NAPLAN, now at Uni where he also receives additional time in exams and for assignments. Star quoting the DDA if you get no joy.

Also worth stressing that you are not repeating a year, you are if your child moves within the UK and is asked to repeat a year. You are moving countries, two totally different education systems, not from a British curriculum to another British curriculum. Does your child understand all about Aboriginal culture and Dreamtime stories? Do they know the capital cities of each State, know what an echidna and a quokka are, know the difference between Federal and State politics and who the Prime Minster is - all part of the primary school curriculum.

I love Christmas shopping in Perth. You can usually find somewhere to park and in many places don't have to pay. You're not wrapped up and hen have to strip off as soon as you enter a shop because the shop is so over heated and carry your coat as well as the shopping or have to sit on overheated crowded trains. You don't have to stand in long queues to be served because there is not the high population density. There isn't the in your face, over the top advertising as Christmas Day is just one day in a long, sunny holiday for people. You can shop and then sit outside at a street cafe and watch the world go by. If you're in the city the kids can lay in the fountains and you can catch the outdoor Nativity play with real camels. Myers and David Jones meet most of my needs. Love the outdoor craft markets. Can't think of any shop in the UK I miss to buy things from that I can't buy in Perth somewhere.

Unfortunately the correlation tends to be cheaper the rent in an area, poorer the school. 'good school' and low rent don't go together though there are some gems about, it is finding them that is the problem. If your son is only 2 then he won't be stating school for a couple of years so you have plenty of time to suss out the schools.

I go back at least once a year as my Mum is 93 on on her last legs - in fact no legs as she is bedridden. Now have a car in the UK as it is cheaper than car hire and has worked out well.

My son was born in England and we moved to Australia when he was age 2 using his British passport which we let expire. He is now 19 and has returned to the UK for two months as a cousin has offered him paid work experience and he entered using his Aussie passport. He was warned at immigration at the airport that he wasn't to work and he said he was visiting relatives. It has just occurred to us that he could be in trouble! He'll pay tax and he needs a National Insurance Number. Would it be wrong of him to work as a lapsed British citizen and having entered the country as an Australian? Advice needed.

Peppermint Grove.

We've lived in three houses and only one had built in robes so I was glad of the wardrobe we shipped. Even now it is sitting in the garage and is used to keep things in. There is an IKEA, gumtree is great, there are garage sales everywhere each weekend and lots of charity shops - the big ones sell furniture. If you are not particular then it is easy to kit yourself out really cheaply and then replace later on when cash isn't so tight.

Radio ads at 3.30pm (when you have the kids in the car) for premature ejaculation and they ask what it is! Stopped listening to commercial radio as a reuslt and found ABC 720 which I love! Vegimite, sorry but Marmite is nice Mozzies (but midgies in Scotland as bad if not worse) possums that get in the roof space and party each night hellohowareyou said by shop assistants as one word and don't wait for a reply hail storms the size of golf balls that write - off two cars people calling me mate who are not my mate

Have a look at this - http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Publications/Reports/Statistical_Reports/School_Comparison_Statistics This report gives the top 50 schools each year in terms of the WACE exam results - like A levels, in year 12. The final pages lists all the subjects you can do and the best performing schools in those areas. It has private and state schools.

Jolly Wolly is K - 12 so if your child is happy there then they can go all the way through and not change. The high school is quite good. Compare it to the feeder high school for Bletchly Park.

Paxo - the Curriculum Council produce school comparison statistics each year, based on the exam results in Year 12. http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Publications/Reports/Statistical_Reports/School_Comparison_Statistics They give lots of information - like the number of students who do stage 2 and stage 3, % who got over 65 or 75%, the top 50 schools in terms of results, the number of kids who graduated etc. If you add this to the information on the my school website - http://www.myschool.edu.au/ you can get quite a clear picture of high schools. There are some great gov schools that produce much better results than some of the private ones - all depends where you are living.

In an ideal world - best schools for girls - Methodist Ladies College, Presbyterian Ladies College, St Hilda's All in the Western suburbs, massive waiting lists and over $20,000 a year. The we have St Mary's in Karrinyup, Perth College Mt Lawley also huge waiting lists. Iona, Santa Maria and Mercedes - all girl Catholic - slightly cheaper. Family home in the Western suburbs will be $1000 a week if not more. Think this is all of the single sex schools, don't think there are any in cheaper areas. All perform well in terms of exam results but it comes at a price!

opps, have just seen Butler. I tutor, specialise in dyslexia/specific learning difficulties but Butler would be too far to go.

How far North are you?

I don't know anything about the one in Brisbane but visited the one in Perth a few years ago in a professional capacity. They employ non Muslin teachers - though the majority are Muslin. The non Muslin women have to wear head scarfs and long sleeves. The classes were large and seemed to be short on resources - photo copied readers for primary one. It is very traditional - mat time seemed to be lots of chanting of e.g the alphabet, tables etc, there seemed to be lots of that - they get the facts in by chanting rather than hands on work. if the kids didn't pass the year then they were retained so you had kids with learning difficulties three years older than the rest of the class. The Islamic college tends to do quite well with maths results in Year 12 - may be because of all the chanting and repetition! I seem to remember some dodgy dealings going on at some point - money embezzled, or some thing like that was in the paper. There use to be regular adverts in the paper for the schools always saying 'top salaries paid' but these stopped a few years ago - which could mean they either retain staff or get them from somewhere else. Overall impression - teaching from the 1950's! of course, one in Brisbane could be very different.

Go on skyscanner - it lets you compare prices. I go back every year and haven't used a travel agent for years - I work out prices on line then book with the airline, never had any problems. best deals are usually taking a budget airline up to the likes of Singapore, Kuala Lumper, sometimes Hong Kong - jetstar/Tiger/Air Asia, then picking up a bigger carrier across. Just got back from the UK and this time I did Air Asia up to KL and Malaysia to London. Decided to stay in KL over night so I could have a day flight to London and even with the hotel added on it was cheaper than many of the other flights.

KCC do OK in terms of results and compared to the Govt schools around that area, would be your best option.

That was such an interesting read, and great for newbies I think - don't just get on the next plane home when things get tough. Good on you.

There are only about five suburbs left that have a median house price under $300,000 and Armadale is one of them. Cheaper housing tends to correlate with more social issues and Armadale does have a poor reputation including the train line into the city not being very safe. It is a rough area which will nevertheless have some Ok bits. Think someone on this site works at the hospital and may have a more balanced view, I am just going on what I hear on the news.

why not ring up the Catholic Education Office and ask - or look on their web site

A friend teachers at Duncraig and has worked in several schools in Perth, she rates it highly.