Naplan\Picking Schools

[Stevo]

Hi Everyone,

I’ve been in Australia for 10  years now, 9 in Sydney and the last year in Melbourne at Mt Eliza. Had a question about the NAPLAN and myschool websites. We’ve been using myschool to try and determine where best to send the little one. Initially was thinking about the Peninsula school, facilities are great but reviews from some of our neighbours weren’t the best so re-evaluating options. We haven’t really settled that well in Melbourne as well, weather being a factor here. Mt Eliza is a great spot and amazing during summer but the long commutes during winter in miserable weather is weighing us down a bit.

Anyway I digress, the question I have is around school ranking. Numbers for the likes of Mt Eliza Primary and Derinya are good, Peninsula better but don’t compare to my old suburb in Baulkham Hills (Crestwood) or some of the suburbs in Brisbane we’re looking at (Indooroopilly State and Chapel Hill). I checked some of the top Vic schools (e.g. Balwyn, McKinnon) and again these lag. My understanding was that Vic schools had the best education in oz. Are these NAPLAN scores a viable tool to use here since you can’t use ATAR to compare Mel and Brisbane schools?

From my reckoning we would be better off moving to a house in one of the Brisbane high school zones here as their scores favorably compare to private schools. Weather would be nice too! We have a few years before the little one goes to school but keen to know all the facts before making a call.

Interested to hear people’s opinions.

Cheers,

Steve

[Quoll]

The back yard grapevine is as good an indicator as any I reckon, along with the eyeball test. Schools reflect their suburban cohort so generally if you aren't happy in the suburb then the school probably won't suit either. Hadn't heard that Vic education was supposed to be the best though! (Unless that came from the Vic Dept Ed!)

School profiles do change over time and if you get a new principal who is busting to get brownie points on their cv you might get changes in the trending of scores. 

Bottom line, a good kid is going to do ok no matter where you go, a kid with difficulties is always going to struggle. Live where you can get a job that you love in a place where you like the home that you can afford and the schools will even out.

[Guest]

Tend to agree with Quoll. 

Don't get too hung up on Naplan results either. They are a snapshot and can vary year to year depending on the kids sitting them. Also some schools coach for it (or used to at least, not sure if they are still allowed to) and others don't.

If you want to move to Brisbane and can do so and work isn't an issue, then make the decision and go from there. I'd expect a decent school will fall into place as you'll make sure to look round, examine your options, get local feedback and so on. 

 

 

 

[Stevo]

Thanks Quoli, Snifter,

Good advice there. I realise that numbers only tell a part of the story and its good to get a feel of the school as well. We did a tour of Peninsula School and were struck how good it looked, even I was a bit gutted I hadn't gone there. Not stupid, they picked two smart kids to show us around and of course they were fantastic salespeople (even though this was inadvertent in their part). My wife toured Derinya school in Frankston and wasn't impressed for some reason yet their scores were good. Horses for courses I guess. We're probably overthinking things as well. I do love Mount Eliza but we've had a lot of bad luck since being here. We went up to Brisbane a couple of weeks and were very impressed with the place. It was hot so would imagine its sticky to say the least in Jan\Feb. We would prefer hot weather to cold weather though. Very impressed with some of the Brisbane schools after done some research and the private schools are a little cheaper. A lot rests with us as well so take your point.

I think our little one would be happy to grow up here, just need to weigh up the pros and cons. Chapel Hill and Kenmore were lovely suburbs and it would be nice to have the sunshine and gold coasts within driving distance. That was one of the reasons we came here but career got in the way! Sydney was good for us, Melbourne not as much. Some big decisions to make.

Thanks again for your advice.

 

 

[deryans]

Quoll and Snifter are both quite accurate with their responses.    I would not put too much credence on what myschool and or any commercial media rankings on schools using the NAPLAN results. 

I worked on NAPLAN for a time, specifically introducing digital adaptive assessments in conjunction with ACARA and worked with a team of pedagogists at the dept of education. NAPLAN is a educational delivery snapshot/benchmark of the childs performance at a point in time based on the capabilities of the school, that is to say, it's more important to the school than it is to the child, each individual child will perform differently in their cohort based on age, abilities and so forth. These can change from month to month.

Quoll is spot on when he/she says the cohort and peer group is one of most important factors in determining a childs outcome, however good kids are good kids and they will overcome wherever they are.

There are some parents who get their kids to study for NAPLAN,  which is kind of missing the point, how can you accurately determine a benchmark if  you try and game the game.

Edited August 2, 2017 by deryans

[Stevo]

4 hours ago, deryans said:

Quoll and Snifter are both quite accurate with their responses.    I would not put too much credence on what myschool and or any commercial media rankings on schools using the NAPLAN results. 

I worked on NAPLAN for a time, specifically introducing digital adaptive assessments in conjunction with ACARA and worked with a team of pedagogists at the dept of education. NAPLAN is a educational delivery snapshot/benchmark of the childs performance at a point in time based on the capabilities of the school, that is to say, it's more important to the school than it is to the child, each individual child will perform differently in their cohort based on age, abilities and so forth. These can change from month to month.

Quoll is spot on when he/she says the cohort and peer group is one of most important factors in determining a childs outcome, however good kids are good kids and they will overcome wherever they are.

There are some parents who get their kids to study for NAPLAN,  which is kind of missing the point, how can you accurately determine a benchmark if  you try and game the game.

Thanks Deryans.

Interesting to hear an insider's point of view. Certainly would be worried about gaming exams. I had a more rounded education loosely based upon a curriculum and feel better for it. I see that Indooropilly have Cisco courses, Advanced Chinese. Frankston have Robotics, how things change. Certainly would like to see the little one have such a varied choice when they grow up. 

Will certainly bear the suburb in mind if we do move on. I think he would do well if we stay in Mt Eliza so in a good position.

Thanks a lot for the replies, has certainly clarified the situation for me. Now the big decision Melbourne or Brisbane!

Cheers,

Steve

[Tina2]

Lived in the Graceville / Indooroopilly area for many years, you cant go wrong. Great train into the city though parking at Indooroopilly Shopping centre is a total nightmare. Schools are fantastic and far less expensive than private schools in Vic. St Peters Lutheran is a school worth considering at St Lucia, but you are spoilt for choice in that area really, be it a state school or Private school.

[Stevo]

14 hours ago, Tina2 said:

Lived in the Graceville / Indooroopilly area for many years, you cant go wrong. Great train into the city though parking at Indooroopilly Shopping centre is a total nightmare. Schools are fantastic and far less expensive than private schools in Vic. St Peters Lutheran is a school worth considering at St Lucia, but you are spoilt for choice in that area really, be it a state school or Private school.

Thanks ever so much for this Tina. We were thinking of the Chapel Hill area but perhaps in the Indooroopilly catchment, need to go out there when its hot to get a better idea. Was 3 degrees today in Melbourne so craving better weather already. Will be good to have that choice of good state schools and private too, we have that here as well though the Peninsula fees are about 5k more than St Peters Lutheran. The idea at the moment is for the little one to start private but then its so expensive. Plenty of food for thought.

Just out of curiosity how is the commute from Chapel Hill to the city, I read that there is a bus but the congestion is really bad at Moggill Road. I think I read about a bypass easing congestion here, did this happen? Can you drive to Indooroopilly and park at the station there? Sorry for all the questions.

Thanks again.

Steve 

[Tina2]

Hi Steve will pm you

 

[Lindsey Richards]

My daughter is hoping to teach in Australia, hence me looking on here for information for her.  I was googling schools in Sydney (along with crocodiles and spiders!) and came across an ebook on Amazon which is very funny about moving to Australia.  "Kelly Bags & Crocodiles:  the diary of a displaced housewife."  My daughter is hoping to teach primary children in NSW but it's not looking very hopeful at the moment, as teaching at junior level is no longer on the skills list.  I find the schools system to be a bit complicated - or perhaps that's just me!

[bayside]

Peninsula Grammar in Mt Eliza is an excellent school with great staff and high achieving students. The facilities are also very modern and the campus is very expansive. Peninsula Grammar is one of the top 50 private schools in Melbourne for VCE performance and was ranked 42nd in the state. The primary school is also one of the highest performing in Mt Eliza.

Toorak College is one of the top 50 schools in Melbourne for VCE and academic performance. The school was even ranked 30th in the state for VCE performance since 2014. The school is renowned for excellence in teaching and the students are very high achievers. Toorak College also has modern facilities with the new Science and Technology Centre coming in 2018. The primary school is also ranked 25th in Melbourne being the most highly ranked school in Mt Eliza.

Nearby Padua on the border of the suburb is also the 6th largest school in Victoria with 3 campuses across the peninsula. Good teachers with modern facilities and expansion. Padua College has a newly built 2018 Year 10-12 Learning Centre. The school has also undergone extensive renovation in the past year. A Performing Arts Centre, dedicated STEAM Learning Centre and an additional Year 10-12 Learning Centre are also coming soon.

Mt Eliza Primary School is also a great school with caring teachers and friendly students. The school has also been recently renovated with an additional $2,940,000 funding for modern school buildings to be built by early 2019. The tree-lined campus is also really beautiful! Mt Eliza Primary School is definitely up there with nearby Peninsula Grammar and Toorak College.

Mt Eliza north primary also has many amenities with a large campus in the Woodlands area. 

Kunyung Primary School is also particularly popular with a bay-view and beach frontage on one of the most popular streets in Australia. Kim Jackson is excellent and they are a model school for the IB program, known internationally which is very impressive. Similarly, St Thomas More Primary has an amazing view of the bay and city skyline along with the Dandenong ranges. The school is great with a new early learning centre on the campus. Students are friendly and teaches are great.

Mornington Primary School is also newly built and expanded with modern facilities including a multipurpose hall/gym and arts centre.  new atrium and library connecting all wings of the new building. The new buildings also include various indoor and outdoor learning spaces (outdoor including shade sails and large decks). New music rooms, arts centre and canteen. 

Balcombe Grammar School is the newest school in the area with great teaches and really modern facilities. The new senior centre is also due for completion in 2019. 

There really are awesome schools on the Mornington Peninsula with some serious growth.

 

 

[bayside]

[judgemental]

On 01/08/2017 at 13:08, Stevo said:

Hi Everyone,

I’ve been in Australia for 10  years now, 9 in Sydney and the last year in Melbourne at Mt Eliza. Had a question about the NAPLAN and myschool websites. We’ve been using myschool to try and determine where best to send the little one. Initially was thinking about the Peninsula school, facilities are great but reviews from some of our neighbours weren’t the best so re-evaluating options. We haven’t really settled that well in Melbourne as well, weather being a factor here. Mt Eliza is a great spot and amazing during summer but the long commutes during winter in miserable weather is weighing us down a bit.

Anyway I digress, the question I have is around school ranking. Numbers for the likes of Mt Eliza Primary and Derinya are good, Peninsula better but don’t compare to my old suburb in Baulkham Hills (Crestwood) or some of the suburbs in Brisbane we’re looking at (Indooroopilly State and Chapel Hill). I checked some of the top Vic schools (e.g. Balwyn, McKinnon) and again these lag. My understanding was that Vic schools had the best education in oz. Are these NAPLAN scores a viable tool to use here since you can’t use ATAR to compare Mel and Brisbane schools?

From my reckoning we would be better off moving to a house in one of the Brisbane high school zones here as their scores favorably compare to private schools. Weather would be nice too! We have a few years before the little one goes to school but keen to know all the facts before making a call.

Interested to hear people’s opinions.

Cheers,

Steve

The scores you need to look at are the Year 9 scores for NAPLAN. Year 7 means nothing as the pupils will only have been in the school for three months when they take NAPLAN. The same applies to the private schools who only take Year 9 or cherry-pick the best of the government schools. What you would need to look at is the improvement for Year 7 to 9, and only for schools that recruit at Year 7. Unless a school is appallingly shite, go for government and bring in the tutors for VCE. I tutor students privately, all of whom go to private schools and it makes me wonder what the hell parents are paying the private schools for.

[Jon the Hat]

I have been told by various people that the NAPLAN scores are also influenced by the tendency of families to have private tutoring - e.g. if you have 50% of kids from ethnic groups where it is the norm for the kids to 4 hours tutoring after school the NAPLAN results will be great, but not necessarily down to the teaching at school.