Just arrived but haven't decided where to settle, question about schooling..........

[SurreyFamily5]

We arrived in Australia on Saturday and the first stop was to fly to Tamworth to visit family and drop off our luggage. We have budgeted for 4 months to spend the time checking out the areas we have considered settling in, look for jobs, rentals and schools. My husband is an Australian and I have a permanent visa. We have 3 girls, 16, 7 and 5 years. Our question is, because we don't know exactly where we want to stay we can't commit to a rental right now which also means we can't enrol the girls in schools, is it a problem that they will probably be out of school from now until the new school year starts at the end of January? someone one has told us this is illegal to do this and we could be prosecuted, obviously this has worried us and really not sure what to do now, any advise will be greatly appreciated.

[MARYROSE02]

Maybe contact the NSW Dept of Education? Doesn't the school year end soon?

 

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[Bobj]

Tamworth is a very good place to start, central northern NSW in the heart of farming country, but it does depend on what your jobs are to be able to say for sure. Have a squiz at the north east side, around Tintinhull and Kootingal, very nice areas.

 

Cheers, Bobj.

[Quoll]

No no-one will give a toss about the kids being out of school until Feb! But you will need to get at least the 16 yr old started right at the beginning of the new year. Technically all children over the age of 6 must be enrolled in an approved education program but as you haven't yet got an address they aren't likely to be chasing you for 4 or 5 weeks at the end of the year!

[SurreyFamily5]

Thanks for your replies, that's put our mind at rest. We can just get on with worrying about everything else now

[calNgary]

We arrived early November and my son stayed home until the new school year in January, we had no problems.

 

Cal x

[LKC]

There are only four weeks of term left. You are effectively on holiday until you settle, so I doubt that anyone would bat an eyelid.

[Tina2]

Agree it is now winding down for the Christmas break, end of year concerts and speech nights. The job market has slowed in Aus so the first priority should be finding employment. Once you have that in place everything else can flow on from that. If you are unsuccessful in finding employment in the short term and will be staying with family in Tamworth, book the children into the local schools for the start of term next year. As long as you are in the "catchment" public schools have to take your children so you can spend a few weeks looking for employment before enrolling the children.

[Fiooooona]

I'm not sure about it being illegal but I finnish school for the year next week, so your 16 year old wouldn't miss much if you had a house and chose to keep her off until the new year anyway. I know you may not like to think of them not knowing anyone for the summer inless they start school soon, but once you find an area, then they can join clubs ect. to meet friends. I knew a family who contacted the school maybe a couple of months before school ended and didn't start until the next year, where as we joined the school with only 2 weeks left of term. I think it's up to you what you'd rather do, I found it both good and bad starting then as I met new friends so I knew I wouldn't be alone at the start of the new year but also I wouldn't have anyone to show me around the next year as I wasn't the "new girl" anymore and 2 weeks wasn't long enough to know where i was going. I managed it though. Take your time with it, you don't want to rush into moving to an area simply because you want them in schools if you don't see yourself settling there and just having to move your girls on in a few months. Your 16 y/o might like to keep in touch with friends and find out what she would be doing in school and go onto bbc bitesize just to continue learning over the break if you can't get into schools? Good luck, and I'm almost completely certain you won't be arrested for not having them in school.