mich1

It's OK PIO, it's still a current topic and Ive learnt a lot reading other people's comments, even if they are from a few years ago.

I agree, that would be so much easier. I do worry about the stigma of Frankston though (to other Melbournites). When my daughter was at a combined Australian Youth Choir rehearsal (incorporating sub venues from Frankston, Traralgon, Doncaster, etc etc), she was happily chatting away to a girl in the choir from another sub region for a while. All was going well, until the girl asked my daughter which venue she attended rehearsals. When she replied "Frankston", the girl slowly edged away and didnt talk to her any more!!! It seems that people dont realise that although there are some undesirables in the Frankston area, especially Franskton North, parts of Frankston and also Frankston South are good areas. Hard to shake the stigma of an area, I get bad comments about Frankston in jokes at work too!

Thanks for your comments Petals, I love a robust debate and I'm very passionate about education. You must have very talented children (eg grade 7 music etc). Just to clarify a few of your points though, I acknowledge results arent everything for everybody, BUT they are an important part of the picture for some, including me, and Im just giving my viewpoint. Also, I have been helped on other forums by people giving their opinions which I found very helpful. Re Frankston High School: I know from personal experience that students have been accepted there from outside the area. Its called, once again, "special consideration". My own daughter has been accepted because of her music level and we live 30 km away. She is doing grade 5 and is 11. She also plays with Melbourne Youth Music. So now you have heard that this is so (as I said last time). Re mt eliza and mornington sec: I dont "say" they have lower results, they actually do get lower results, look it up on VCE scores/naplan. Yes of course some students do well in these schools, but there always are some that will do well anywhere, just as there are low performing students in the other schools I mentioned. Obviously, all things being equal, the population has a certain percentage in each quarter, but the schools I recommended for whatever reason, have more students in the upper quarters, also for whatever reason - a topic for another discussion perhaps. You can send a child to a school just because of results alone, but that would be a bit silly wouldnt it? Results are important to me, but not so much to you, and that's OK. I would just like my child to reach his/her full potential ( its that quartile thing again) as well as choose a school that suits them. Obviously I cant comment on anyone else's children only my own and my own experiences. Scholarships for Toorak and the like are fiercely competitive, I agree, and why? Partly because they get good results! Its great your children got into flinders but I notice you were talking about primary school. At one primary school I taught at, it was distressing to see many grade 6 kids from a state school on the peninsula not get a place for year 7 at Flinders when they were expecting to. I think that that year there were 800 applications and only 150 spots? Ridiculous competition, but that's a testament to results vs fees (bang for your buck) that I was saying in my previous post. Anyway Petals, sorry to 'dis' you but just giving a bit back and hopefully someone will benefit. Cheers Mish

This isnt a comment from the above quote, its just a comment in general. I have researched schools in Melbourne and on the Mornington Peninsula extensively. I am also a secondary school teacher in Melbourne. With a daughter in grade 5, and having gone to a lot of tours and researched results, these are my findings: The best state school as far as results go is Frankston High School. Good for both sport and music, if you dont live in the catchment area you have to apply for special consideration eg you child is a state swimmer or is doing 5th/6th grade on an instrument etc Mornington and Mt Eliza struggle to get good results, the former more than the latter. As another poster said, university is not foremost on parents minds in these places, and the results suffer accordingly. The best 'budget' private school is Flinders Christian Community College in Tyabb. Year 10 is close to $6000 AUD a year just for fees but results-wise you get a lot of bang for your buck. Hard to get into however, because of demand for places, and interview, school results, and an academic test are all standard for a place. You must portray a good work ethic to get in. Heavily Christian. Even though Flinders costs more, it is worth the money compared to Balcombe Grammar (Mount Martha) and Padua (Mornington). I found the students at The Peninsula School (mt Eliza) to be quite snobby and stuck up. Toorak similar. Toorak for girls (mount Eliza) gets the best results out of all the expensive ($20K+) private schools but you must have the right jeans / horse float etc. Woodleigh (Baxter) gets good results for the 20K but no uniform and if your child isnt self-motivated they may struggle to realise their potential. The myschool website gives information regarding naplan results which put peninsula schools lower down the list compared with schools in Metropolitan Melbourne. For this reason, I have explored Haileybury Girls (there is a boys as well) 20K+ at Keysborough - dont worry there is a school bus from south of Mount Martha, Cornish College (14k) at Bangholme (bus from Frankston available), Mentone Girls Secondary and Mentone Girls Grammar (train from Frankston). All of these schools score very well and many of their students aspire to university which in turn raises the expectations of possible outcomes for students, teachers and parents alike. Teh other concern for peninsula school is the phenomenon called "peninsularisation". So many students down here, go to school her, marry their childhood sweetheart, stay down here and never escape. Its a big wide world out there and for some it can be scary to leave. Well I hoped this will help someone make a decision or inspire them to explore different schools. Mish