Quality of schooling vs UK

[Guest Shell15]

When you visited the school did it seem ok? Did you meet with the headmaster and have a tour of the school?

[Freckleface]

I had to think about this one a lot. I had 3 kids in high school in the UK and they loved being there, had plenty of homework, the teachers kept on top of things. If your child was caught with a phone or ipod in class it would be taken away.

When we got to Australia my kids told me that all the kids listen to there ipod or play on there phones in class and the teachers dont care.

I asked the head teacher about this and he said there was nothing he could do, I couldnt belive what I was hearing.

 

When seeing the teacher on parent evening I got told that my child had not given in 3 assignment , why the hell are you telling me now. Why not write to the parent or bloody ring them. That has to go in the to hard box, something they use a lot out here.

 

I asked my child when I got home and I was shown the assignment, the teacher just hadnt marked them.

 

There are lots of things that I could rant about.

 

My 2 girls have now left school one is waiting to go to uni and the other is doing a apprenticeship Just my son to finish this year. I have had to get him help with his maths this year due to lack of teachers turning up for lessons, and this being his final year I find it a disgrace. When you phone the school they are not interested. They just say well the teacher is ill, then get someone in then its not rocket science.

My eldest was 16 when we got here, and the work they where doing here she had done 2 years b4 in the UK.

So I asked my kids b4 I wrote this, which school they prefered and they all have said there English schools.

 

Dont get me wrong I love Australia and the people but I do not rate the education at all :wub:

.

 

 

Think I would have changed schools if even half of that happened in the schools my kids went to.

[an1ta]

Think I would have changed schools if even half of that happened in the schools my kids went to.

 

I looked at other schools and they where worse, I tried to get them into the catholic school, but being a none catholic I did not stand much chance... My girls came out of there with good grades, but that was more them than the school

[Skani]

Dont get me wrong I love Australia and the people but I do not rate the education at all :wub:

.

 

There would be many schools which have much higher standards than you experienced.

The schools I have been associated with confiscate ipods and phones if brought into class - and don't hand them back until the end of the day.

I, too, would have moved my children to another school.

[ghost]

In my own experience I would say that I have uk schooling to be much better. Not only in what they learn but the way they deal with difficult children.

 

I would say there is a big emphasis on private schooling here. Altho it's much cheaper than in the uk.

[Sibella]

I had the opposite experience. In the UK my kids were in a supposedly excellent state school with great results (but no homework and a bit new age). My eldest enjoyed it very much and did really well and was in the top groups for most things. My youngest suffered in Reception as she was obviously not ready for school at age four and the teacher said she wasn't interested in reading.

 

Fast forward to Australia, my eldest joined a state primary school in Grade 4 and is now in Grade 5/6 (Grade 5 of 5/6 composite class). Her confidence has taken a bit of a knock because she isn't in the top groups anymore, she gets more homework than in the UK (but still only a few spelling words and a spelling sheet a week) and discovered her learning lacked in quite a few areas, especially grammar and punctuation. In the UK the kids were encouraged to write freely but their work weren't corrected and they also didn't learn any grammar rules and things like digraphs etc. So she has quite a bit of catching up to do. Also they use IT a lot more here - each child has access to a notebook where in the UK they usually had to share so I think my daughter always ended up watching instead of doing. They also use ipads in class. She recently had to do a project on Powerpoint and it was a big learning curve for her.

 

My six year old on the other hand is much more confident and doing much better in Prep here because she is older and the way they are taught to read is more structured than her old school so she is flying through her books with confidence.

 

So for us the schools here are better, it depends on what the UK school is like compared to the new one in Australia. And like opinions it can vary a lot.

[Guest Ptp113]

I had to think about this one a lot. I had 3 kids in high school in the UK and they loved being there, had plenty of homework, the teachers kept on top of things. If your child was caught with a phone or ipod in class it would be taken away.

When we got to Australia my kids told me that all the kids listen to there ipod or play on there phones in class and the teachers dont care.

I asked the head teacher about this and he said there was nothing he could do, I couldnt belive what I was hearing.

 

When seeing the teacher on parent evening I got told that my child had not given in 3 assignment , why the hell are you telling me now. Why not write to the parent or bloody ring them. That has to go in the to hard box, something they use a lot out here.

 

I asked my child when I got home and I was shown the assignment, the teacher just hadnt marked them.

 

There are lots of things that I could rant about.

 

My 2 girls have now left school one is waiting to go to uni and the other is doing a apprenticeship Just my son to finish this year. I have had to get him help with his maths this year due to lack of teachers turning up for lessons, and this being his final year I find it a disgrace. When you phone the school they are not interested. They just say well the teacher is ill, then get someone in then its not rocket science.

My eldest was 16 when we got here, and the work they where doing here she had done 2 years b4 in the UK.

So I asked my kids b4 I wrote this, which school they prefered and they all have said there English schools.

 

Dont get me wrong I love Australia and the people but I do not rate the education at all :wub:

.

That is just that particular school. Pretty daft to lump all schools into the same bracket!

[an1ta]

In my own experience I would say that I have uk schooling to be much better. Not only in what they learn but the way they deal with difficult children.

 

I would say there is a big emphasis on private schooling here. Altho it's much cheaper than in the uk.[/quote

 

 

I totally agree with you. I was also told by a few of my friends that are Aussies, that the private schools are more like our High schools in the UK.

 

Also reading the last statement on here shocked me. The school my children went to in the UK all had laptops. We had been here 6 months when the school in here OZ got touch computers, way behind the UK

And for grammer I dont think they know grammer here, my Daughters took extention English here and couldnt believe how bad the teachers where.

My daughter can't wait to go to UNI and become an English teacher and teach. :wub:

[Wiganlad]

I had the opposite experience. In the UK my kids were in a supposedly excellent state school with great results (but no homework and a bit new age). My eldest enjoyed it very much and did really well and was in the top groups for most things. My youngest suffered in Reception as she was obviously not ready for school at age four and the teacher said she wasn't interested in reading.

 

Fast forward to Australia, my eldest joined a state primary school in Grade 4 and is now in Grade 5/6 (Grade 5 of 5/6 composite class). Her confidence has taken a bit of a knock because she isn't in the top groups anymore, she gets more homework than in the UK (but still only a few spelling words and a spelling sheet a week) and discovered her learning lacked in quite a few areas, especially grammar and punctuation. In the UK the kids were encouraged to write freely but their work weren't corrected and they also didn't learn any grammar rules and things like digraphs etc. So she has quite a bit of catching up to do. Also they use IT a lot more here - each child has access to a notebook where in the UK they usually had to share so I think my daughter always ended up watching instead of doing. They also use ipads in class. She recently had to do a project on Powerpoint and it was a big learning curve for her.

 

My six year old on the other hand is much more confident and doing much better in Prep here because she is older and the way they are taught to read is more structured than her old school so she is flying through her books with confidence.

 

So for us the schools here are better, it depends on what the UK school is like compared to the new one in Australia. And like opinions it can vary a lot.

 

I should imagine that I speak for many when I say that this post is extremely surprising. In my experience, based on the education of my children in the UK compared to that of my nephews in Australia, the UK uses significantly more advanced ICT than its Australian counterparts. Additionally, based on the findings of several of my Australian based friends, the overall systems and pedagogy that are utilised in the UK are considerably more modern.

 

My four year old daughter, who is still in nursery, is reading perfectly well too - thanks to the structured methods that have been implemented.

 

I could go on but must, at least, inform you all that an Australian 'friend' of mine teaches English over there and appears not to know the distinction between their/there or your/you're. These two examples simply serve as metaphors for the array of 'basics' that he seems to struggle with.

 

However, as you conclude, it can be the 'luck of the draw'- especially with state schools.

[fish.01]

I think the variety of responses demonstrating people can have positive and negative experiences in both countries depending on where they live demonstrates that drawing nation wide conclusions from a few exampes and hearsay is pointless.

[NickyNook]

And for grammer I dont think they know grammer here, my Daughters took extention English here and couldnt believe how bad the teachers where.

My daughter can't wait to go to UNI and become an English teacher and teach. :wub:

 

I have nothing to say except - LOL!

[Harpodom]

Two pom kids joined my daughters primarys school and struggled. The parents whinged about the uniform, the amount of homwork (excessive), and just about everything else. Govt school, not private

 

did they also whinge about one of the other dads being a really grumpy old git with a mysteriously aggressive attitude towards his fellow countrymen?

[Harpodom]

These type of threads always have "my dads bigger than you" and you will get people who live in oz or the uk saying their present countries schools are better than yours even if they dot really believe it, it is the same with all threads that compare oz and the uk......school does nothing IMO for the future of a child, if you have have common sense and some bottle you will succeed no matter what qualifications you have, you can have 6 A levels and still be thick as a brick whereas the kid with no A levels will be brighter because he has common sence and know where he is going.

 

:goofy:

[Guest Ptp113]

did they also whinge about one of the other dads being a really grumpy old git with a mysteriously aggressive attitude towards his fellow countrymen?

No they appreciated the assistance I gave them to stop being pommie prats! They are now doing OK but have a long way to go. i'll be there to guide them of course

[newjez]

My six year old just explained to me what a split diagraph is. I'm still trying to understand how I feel about that.

 

I was going on about magic e words - where the e gets the letter to say it's name. He looked me in the eye and said - it's a split diagraph dad.

 

We've moved on now. I think I'm learning more than him.

[Guest Bazinga]

Private schools are cheaper here because they also get government funding. I think that is disgusting.

[an1ta]

I have nothing to say except - LOL!

 

It was written in that way for a reason.

[an1ta]

When you visited the school did it seem ok? Did you meet with the headmaster and have a tour of the school?

 

 

Hi I have just seen this. Yes we did go and see the school and the head teacher, everything seemed ok on the day. We also spoke to people in the area.Which is the best school in the area and got told the one I have sent my children to.

 

I can only go on what I'm told when coming from the other side of the world.

If Australia had, had offstead reports b4 we got here we could have looked into it better. :biggrin:

[Ken]

Private schools are cheaper here because they also get government funding. I think that is disgusting.

 

Private schools are more expensive in the UK because they don't get governement funding. I think that is disgusting. Yes some people are so super rich they can afford to pay both for schools and the taxes to educate other peoples children but most of us fall in the middle and expect to have to scrimp and save for our children's education. To be told by the government that your child is worth less than that of the child of some benefit cheat is nothing more than a slap in the face. The government should not discriminate and instead pay the same for all children regardless.

[Ken]

Hi I have just seen this. Yes we did go and see the school and the head teacher, everything seemed ok on the day. We also spoke to people in the area.Which is the best school in the area and got told the one I have sent my children to.

 

I can only go on what I'm told when coming from the other side of the world.

If Australia had, had offstead reports b4 we got here we could have looked into it better. :biggrin:

 

They're not called Ofsted in Australia (infact I think the name changes for each state) but they still have reports on the quality of the schools allowing comparisons.

[Alaska]

It seems like there is no real consistency even within the same school - well the one my son goes to.

He is in Prep and one of the other mums was explaining that about half the prep teachers are the teachers that used to teach Grade 1 upwards, and half are the ones that used to teach Kindy/Preschool etc. So half the classes are doing more academic stuff and half are more play based.

This might cause a problem when they all mix up and go into Year 1 next year.

 

The jury is out really as it's difficult to tell when they are so young.

[Johndoe]

Private schools are cheaper here because they also get government funding. I think that is disgusting.

 

The funding is supposed to equate to what it would cost if the child was in a state school................therefore, no cost to the taxpayer as they would have to pay if the child was in state school anyway (via taxation)

[Paul1Perth]

Our eldest went to a public school and did fine. Hardly any homework but passed his school certificate OK. Never wanted to go to Uni and wanted and apprenticeship. Got an offer of 2 plumber or electrician. Chose electrician and has been fully qualified for about 3 years.

 

Youngest has an autistic spectrum disorder, learning difficulties, epilepsy. So we sent him to a private school that had a "special program" for people with learning difficulties. It's been good for him. He's enjoyed it and has done OK. Quite a bit more expensive but you have to do what you can, no point complaining about the cost and who funds what and who's paying. That's the system we've got and you just do your best for your kids.

No one made us have kids and once the choice is made we should be prepared to pay whatever it takes. It's expensive having kids full stop. School is only part of it and everyone should be aware of that before having a couple and then expecting the government, and other tax payers to take up the slack when you struggle to pay the mortgage.

 

Forgot to mention, lots more homework in the private school, way too much in my opinion. I think they give plenty out to make you think you are getting value for money and the kids are being worked harder.

[Skani]

They're not called Ofsted in Australia (infact I think the name changes for each state) but they still have reports on the quality of the schools allowing comparisons.

 

It's called Naplan in Australia and you can find the results for each school at:

 

http://www.myschool.edu.au/

[newjez]

Private schools are cheaper here because they also get government funding. I think that is disgusting.

 

Why? If the kids went to a state school, they would cost the state x amount of dollars. So why shouldn't a portion of that money go to the private school, so that the private school is effectively a top up?