Londoner Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Looking to move to Melbourne with Primary School kids Just some simple off the cuff questions: 1. Best time to move? I'm estimating between Oct-Dec, as the school year starts in Jan in Victoria. 2. Getting a school place - can you apply for a school place before you get there. Main concern is if I wait until I get there, it will be too late to start at the beginning of the term. When do the schools break up/admission offices close? Any advice would be great. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzy--bee Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 1. Best time to move? I'm estimating between Oct-Dec, as the school year starts in Jan in Victoria. Doesn't matter when you move. Don't time your move based on this - kids join schools mid-year all the time and soon catch up. 2. Getting a school place - can you apply for a school place before you get there. Possibly, but why would you? Surely you would want to look round a school before applying to make sure it was right. Unless your kids are going to an elite private school or something, you shouldn't have a problem getting into a local primary. Main concern is if I wait until I get there, it will be too late to start at the beginning of the term. When do the schools break up/admission offices close? Honestly, I would not stress about this. It really doesn't matter that much. The school offices are open when the schools are open, there isn't a drop-dead deadline for registering. At our kids school, there's often a new kid from overseas who starts mid-term. BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thinker78 Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 dont stress- not crazy like the UK with getting into schools- unless you want to go to a very expensive elite one. if you live in the catchment, you're in. you may even have more than one to choose from. i know- luxury! feel sorry for those of us using the much easier system here and trying to get our heads around the crazy over subscribed uk system- totally putting me off even trying to return some days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
furkew Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 another thing worth thinking about is that if you do move over during, or just before the summer holidays, the kids wont have had time to make friends at school, meaning they will get bored on their own, or you will have to keep them entertained for 7 weeks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Basically none of the above matters. Move when suits you for work purposes - there are kids coming and going all the time, you don't even have to start them at the beginning of the week, let alone the beginning of a term or the school year. No, you can't enrol them before you arrive (unless you go private where you may be able to) but where you live will entitle you to a place in the local school (they have priority enrolment areas). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArrowsEng Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 I would be more concerned about getting a house in the right school zone to get into a good school rather than what time of the year to come across. As mentioned above, the school system here runs a zone system, so as long as you live in the catchment area, your kids get to go to the local school as soon as you move in. The quality of school results varies a bit and spend a bit of time looking at which schools get the best results for your kids not just for Primary School but for Secondary School also. That way if you move somewhere and your kids make friends then you don't have to move again to get them into a good school. I moved to Vermont in Melbourne because the local primary and secondary schools get good results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzy--bee Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 As mentioned above, the school system here runs a zone system, Actually, not every school does. None of the primary schools in our area are zoned, and they are all pretty good. All the secondary schools are though. BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Actually, not every school does. None of the primary schools in our area are zoned, and they are all pretty good. All the secondary schools are though. BB I think they do, in that if you are within the priority enrolment area they are obliged to take you however they may be more flexible and take kids from out of area if they have space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzy--bee Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 I think they do, in that if you are within the priority enrolment area they are obliged to take you however they may be more flexible and take kids from out of area if they have space. Not primary schools in our area. They are not zoned at all. So I can only imagine that a lot of others are also not zoned. The situation you describe above only applies to secondary schools in our area. BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Not primary schools in our area. They are not zoned at all. So I can only imagine that a lot of others are also not zoned. The situation you describe above only applies to secondary schools in our area. BB Its the the obligation to take a child in area that constitutes their "zone" - they have to do that http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/spag/participation/Pages/placement.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzy--bee Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Its the the obligation to take a child in area that constitutes their "zone" - they have to do that http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/spag/participation/Pages/placement.aspx Sure, but that is only if a zone has been declared. All the primary schools round us will accept any kid who applies, regardless of where they live. I was simply pointing out to the OP that zoning is not a consideration at every school, and at some schools they won't need to stress about being in a zone to gain admission. Mentone Primary near us tried to introduce a zone about 2 years ago, but all the other local schools objected, so they were unable to implement it. BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammy1 Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Most schools ARE zoned and will only take a student from outside the catchment area if they have space. It is important to be aware that primary schools are the 'feeders' to particular secondary schools. So if you send your child to a school outside of your regular catchment area then they most likely will not be able to go to secondary school with their friends in that same catchment area. This can cause huge upset. Secondary schools are very strict with regards to zoning, as are most primary schools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nerak123 Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 Very helpful thread. How can you check the performance of a school? And it's catchment zone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzy--bee Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 Very helpful thread. How can you check the performance of a school? And it's catchment zone? There is a site called MySchool which gives stats on school performance however these should be taken with a pinch of salt as some schools find ways which are legal but not in my opinion ethical to make their stats look better than they are. There is no substitute for visiting a school and doing a tour, and these are very easy to arrange. Schools which have zones normally publish them on their websites, eg Mentone Girls Secondary College, or Frankston High. BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nerak123 Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 Very helpful thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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