UK Schooling v's Oz Schooling

[ellasdaddy]

sounds good to me LKC

[Liz Steve R]

Well said LKC.

My youngest daughter (3) is a very happy and confident little person and I'm sure this is because I have been able to stay at home and bring her up. I never had the choice/luxury when my other two were small, they had to go to nursery and I had to go to work We do so much together and really enjoy ourselves. Also her speech is very good - although think she may get the talking from me! lol

[Guest deb31deb]

Not wanting to scare people but as a teacher in Queensland I can say that I have serious concerns about the quality of education here. The best measure for a teacher is the question 'would I send my own children here?' and I wouldn't want my children to go to school here. Having said that I think this is a state based problem, I have heard good things about education in NSW and VIC.

 

Obviously this doesn't mean that children can't or don't do well here, often bright children do well despite the teachers! My partner is from QLD and is very academic, with several degrees and a very well paid job.

 

At last thats all i was saying telling people your experience may help those looking for answers i thought thats what the forum was about .

[Guest]

I haven't read all the replies but one thing you can be certain is that for everyone who says UK is better there will be someone else that says it's worse therefore there is no real answer to your question. For me as someone who worked as a teacher for 7 years in the UK one of my motivations for migrating was the BETTER education system in Perth and I have not been disappointed. My son goes to a community school (about $4000 a year) and gets a quality of education that doesn't exist in the UK at any price.

 

And I have met many mums with children in state

schools who are equally happy.

 

Do remember just like everything else in Australia schools are DIFFERENT and unless you intend to return to the UK comparison is irrelevant anyway. Aussie schools prepare children to live and work as adults in Australia.

 

I'm in Perth so if you'd like to know more about my sons school email me.

 

Jules

[Guest guest30038]

Not wanting to scare people but as a teacher in Queensland I can say that I have serious concerns about the quality of education here. The best measure for a teacher is the question 'would I send my own children here?' and I wouldn't want my children to go to school here. Having said that I think this is a state based problem, I have heard good things about education in NSW and VIC.

 

Obviously this doesn't mean that children can't or don't do well here, often bright children do well despite the teachers! My partner is from QLD and is very academic, with several degrees and a very well paid job.

 

As a teacher you should know that you shouldn't generalise. How can it be a state based problem when my understanding is that many schools here in Qld have autonomy. I've seen schools less than a kilometre apart, operate entirely differently than each other.

 

The school is only as good as it's staff and pupils and that holds true for any state.

 

I have nothing but high regard for the schooling here..........more emphasis on producing "rounded" young adults and more emphasis on pastoral care. The problem foster kids that I sent to various schools here, have all been treated with respect and nurturing, with emphasis on their individual difficulties. My experience of the Uk system, although dated, would be that they would have been expelled on day one.

 

kev

[ErmintrudeMcMoo]

at the end of the day no one is slagging anyone off for how they choose to educate their own child - that is a personal thing - like I have said (repeatedly) what works for one may not work for others.

What I am saying is that you can still come to Oz and still get a decent education for your child. Not every school in UK is fantastic, not every child that attends school in UK is going to be a brain surgeon - same here in Oz.

I am however sick of people slagging the Oz system off, saying on various forums that to get a decent education you HAVE to go private. Im fed up with the snobbishness and pomposity of some some POMs - it`s what I came here to get away from AAAAAERRRFFGGGGGH""£$34%$6!!!!!

[Guest chris955]

We know 3 families who have taken their kids out of the State system and enrolled them in fee paying schools because of the lack of progress their kids were making, none of them were BRits by the way. We have similar concerns with our kids, they are very bright but just not stretched at school at all. Not a criticism, purely an observation.

[Guest deb31deb]

We know 3 families who have taken their kids out of the State system and enrolled them in fee paying schools because of the lack of progress their kids were making, none of them were BRits by the way. We have similar concerns with our kids, they are very bright but just not stretched at school at all. Not a criticism, purely an observation.

 

yes this is my experience and also many of my aussie and british friends . my girls are now doing very well since the change to private education as are my friend children what works for some might not for others this does not mean we are slating the state schools they just didnt work for us. :cute:

[Guest famousfive]

The question of whether the uk or aus have a better education system is never going to get an answer I think because the answer depends highly on what we all deem to be a 'good' education.The choice of school,the student,teachers and parents all add to the mix of how a child responds to schooling.How well they make friends,if they are bullied and the importance given to education are also factors that can influence a childs time at school.

 

My kids attended a very small rural school in Ireland where they were in class with a maximum of 5 other kids and now attend a medium sized school here in oz with about 26 kids per teacher.Now obviously you cannot compare one with the other.What you can compare however is the curriculum.Subject matter is of course different but the core principles of education in both countries are very much the same.I find in the school my kids go to,literacy and numeracy are not considered to be of the highest importance,they aim for a more rounded approach.

 

As the OPs child is so young the aussie system will not be such a change for her.Whether to go state or private is a personal decision,largly based on whether it can be afforded,and many aussies seem to change to private in about year 4 rather than earlier on.Many of course never go private and go on to demonstrate great intelligence also.

 

As for the issue raised about future jobs for children.....it is not so long ago that most european kids were fairly sure of a good job upon leaving school and today it has all changed in many countries,not just the uk.None of us can predict the future and many things can also change in aus in the coming years.It would surely be foolish to think that better job prospects in oz were a given for any child of such a young age.

 

Just my thoughts.

[Guest deb31deb]

my girls are 6 and 10 both born in the uk . and it was a big change for my daughter who is 6 in the state school in aus compared to theprivate school she is in now in aus and the school she was in in the uk was fabulous and although my youngest is quiet like her mother lol she is a well rounded child and is how the teachers describe her as quietly confident .we left the uk for a better lifestyle not because of education i was sorry to leave the school in the uk because i am now in aus i will not slate it as life is good however we are british and we will also always be proud of that and will not sweep it under the carpoet because we have moved to aus we will emrace both cultures and teach our children the same neither is better than the other its a shame reading other threads on poms in oz seems to be alot of it . my motto be true to yourselve and be as proud to be british as the Australians are to be australian

[ellasdaddy]

Is their anyone on this thread who can tell me what is the differance between kindy pre primary 1 and pre primary 2, is that just like play school then 2 years of pre school, ive been trying to work out where my kids would slot in but getting nowhere fast

[Guest davr]

Hi,

 

If this is of any help, Australia has been one of the top ten countries (along with Finland, NZ, etc...) in the PISA league ( Programme for International Student Assessment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ) for the last ten years... so I guess that they must be doing something right....

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide evaluation of 15-year-old school pupils' scholastic performance, performed first in 2000 and repeated every three years. It is coordinated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), with a view to improving educational policies and outcomes.

 

 

cheers

dan

[cluster13]

I can only speak from my very limited experience.

My wife and I were very nervous about both the quality of the education and the size of the schools before leaving the UK (Maddie was in a very small village school and we feared she would be lost in the crowd in a city school). Due to our visa we have to pay for school fees regardless of going private or public. We decided to go Public due to the overwhelming religious element of the private schools (Both Cath and I were brought up Catholics (which was enough to put us both off religion for life). Due to term times being mis-aligned (summer holidays not matching the uk) Maddie would either have to re-sit her last 6 months or jump forward 6 month (we consider here a capable student who was near the top of her class for most subjects) The School felt that she should stay in the lower year though so she was enrolled in Cronulla Public School.

I have to say that i am VERY impressed with the quality of the education. Maddie is getting exposure to a much wider variety of lessons and activities (Dance, drama, , The school is always putting on something extra for the children (class visits from authors, or subject specialists, excursions ect.). considering she has already completed this year in the UK, she is NOT head and shoulder above the other children, in fact she is finding it quite challenging in some areas. Home work is much more structured and Maddie if having to complete 30-45 mins every night to keep up.

When we visited the school and asked for an appointment to see the principle we were wheeled straight to his office where he took 45 mins to give us a complete tour of the facilities and meet the teachers.

IMHO Australian schooling standards are higher than the UK but we may have just been very lucky with the schools she has gone too or not realised that the UK school was a little behind ??

Maddie is settling in quite well and all the other children are very friendly and caring.

I would have no hesitation in moving a child to Oz from an educational perspective.

Steve

[calNgary]

Is their anyone on this thread who can tell me what is the differance between kindy pre primary 1 and pre primary 2, is that just like play school then 2 years of pre school, ive been trying to work out where my kids would slot in but getting nowhere fast

 

My daugter is now 7 (just) and in YR1, she will start Year 2 in January. She did prep last year which is at the primary school,she had just turned 5 when she started, it was school hours, same uniform etc and it was very similar to pre school in the uk that my son did. Our school are now building a kindy which is for children to attend the year before they start prep,,all sooo confusing,lol and worked slightly different in every state i think. If you approach your local school and give them your childrens date of birth they will tell you exactly where they should be.

 

Cal x

[ellasdaddy]

Thanks cal

Ive worked out that my oldest (hes nearly 11) hes halfway through year 6 at the mn once we get their he should re start year 6.......... i think lol

I think what confuses me more is that i went to school it was in scotland, so that was different agan, their was no reception class up their and primary finished in primary 7 and not year 6 like it is in england lol

Omg i shouldnt have written that now ive just confused myself even more haha

I think i will we wait till we get their (in 83 sleeps WOOHOO) and sort it out then lol lol lol

Thanks Cal

[calNgary]

It is confusing,lol, My son was 12 last week and in January he starts year 8 which is the first year of high school ,hope thats not just confused matters more for you,lol

 

Cal x

[byrned]

my girls are 6 and 10 both born in the uk . and it was a big change for my daughter who is 6 in the state school in aus compared to theprivate school she is in now in aus and the school she was in in the uk was fabulous and although my youngest is quiet like her mother lol she is a well rounded child and is how the teachers describe her as quietly confident .we left the uk for a better lifestyle not because of education i was sorry to leave the school in the uk because i am now in aus i will not slate it as life is good however we are british and we will also always be proud of that and will not sweep it under the carpoet because we have moved to aus we will emrace both cultures and teach our children the same neither is better than the other its a shame reading other threads on poms in oz seems to be alot of it . my motto be true to yourselve and be as proud to be british as the Australians are to be australian

 

I totally agree with your post, some people tend to do it, dont know why, its as though they try and justify every part of their life being so much better then previous, we tend to forget the greatness of the country we left behind and just focus on the negative giving us a reason to get the hell out of there, the education cant be that bad still producing some of the most creative, artistic, skilful people in the world and nice to see a uk university is now ranked number one in the world. and a lot of uk universitys still making the top 30, so the education system cant be that bad.

[Guest RobynAtPresentInLondon]

V interesting theme as I was just browsing the myschools website before I popped in to PIO. I am Australian and have worked in UK schools for 17 years (as a speech therapist/speech pathologist).

 

I was a bright child in NSW and went to an Opportunity class in years 5 and 6. These were the best two years of my entire school life - we seemed to mess around the whole time because we did the curriculum in 3-4 days and went out for a day every week (or so it seems from almost 30 years' distance!). I didn't go to a selective high school, but did ok in HSC. I wouldn't say my school education has had much effect on my life either way, apart from getting me into the right course at uni. However, I know that if I was in the UK there would have been no chance of a fun opportunity class!

 

My kids are 10,7 and4 and we are planning to be over there earlyish next year - I'm going to put the little one into school even though he will be one of the youngest just in case we come back here at all because there is no leeway in terms of what year group your child is in here in London.

 

Every state has a different system so different names for the first years, different years for going to high school, different everything. It's easy to forget that the states of Australia have less in common in terms of legislation than Scotland and England.

 

Can't say either way re school education but I understand (from experience of working in the NHS) that vocational health degrees in Australia produce excellent health professionals.

 

My eldest has an Australian teacher this year who is apparently very strict, and is thinking that she had better work hard if that is what all Australian teachers are like!

[Boesman]

A good thread however I am not able to comment on Aus schools yet, but surely they will at least GET A PLACE:arghh:

My children, now year 3 and yr 1 sat at home 4 months earlier this year because there were no places in the schools in our area. UNACCEPTABLE!! I tried home schooling them in the mean time, but my 7 yr old has very challenging behaviour and we ended up fighting more than ever about everything. Now they are in two different schools and both start the same time in the morning and the nursery and yr 3 came out at the same time and the one in yr1 at a different time. One is always late now and I am driving like a lunatic 6 trips between the schools a day. Unfortunately I don't know many people in our area to make different arrangements. All are working or don't want to commit to have soneone elses child every day.

Didn't mean to moan, just want a place for all in the same school:arghh:

 

So, are the schools in Aus filled to the brim?

Boesman

[ellasdaddy]

A good thread however I am not able to comment on Aus schools yet, but surely they will at least GET A PLACE:arghh:

My children, now year 3 and yr 1 sat at home 4 months earlier this year because there were no places in the schools in our area. UNACCEPTABLE!! I tried home schooling them in the mean time, but my 7 yr old has very challenging behaviour and we ended up fighting more than ever about everything. Now they are in two different schools and both start the same time in the morning and the nursery and yr 3 came out at the same time and the one in yr1 at a different time. One is always late now and I am driving like a lunatic 6 trips between the schools a day. Unfortunately I don't know many people in our area to make different arrangements. All are working or don't want to commit to have soneone elses child every day.

Didn't mean to moan, just want a place for all in the same school:arghh:

 

So, are the schools in Aus filled to the brim?

Boesman

 

 

oh dear i know what you mean i also have 6 school runs a day lol you end up spending most of the day driving back and forth hope it gets sorted out for you soon

[northernbird]

Is their anyone on this thread who can tell me what is the differance between kindy pre primary 1 and pre primary 2, is that just like play school then 2 years of pre school, ive been trying to work out where my kids would slot in but getting nowhere fast

 

If you are heading to WA there is Kindy, Pre-primary and then year 1. There is no Pre-Primary 2. My school has 2 pre-primary classes PP1 and PP2 but they are the same age kids in each.

 

Early Childhood Education This calculator will help you with your youngest child.

 

If your 10 year old is 11 before 30th June 2011 then he will indeed restart year 6 in February 2011. Here in WA private high schools start in year 7 and state high schools start in year 8.

[ellasdaddy]

aww thank you i though pre primary 1 and pre primary 2 were like 2 different years lol i that may have been were i was getting mixed up

[northernbird]

aww thank you i though pre primary 1 and pre primary 2 were like 2 different years lol i that may have been were i was getting mixed up

 

Also keep in mind that Kindy and Pre-primary are non compulsory education. Enrolment for these programmes are done in the July/August the previous year. Good schools have their places filled quickly and just because you move into an area doesn't mean you will get a place in either of these years even if you live in boundary so be very wary of this when you are looking at rentals.

[caramac]

I'm not sure that there's much difference between 'systems', just schools. My daughter started school in Perth and had a great first year. The second year she was left to sit and wait for the others to finish their work because she worked quickly. We were told she was doing what she should, but she was getting bored and we were getting fed up, so we moved her. She moved with her sisters to an excellent school and I'm sure if we were still there, they would still be at that school. It was a nuturing, kind environment where every girl was valued for who she was. They had great facilities and a very broad curriculum where they could all work at their own level and speed.

We moved back to the UK for work and the oldest one went to another girls' school and the younger two to a local first school. The older one loved it from day 1 and the other two had a good year academically at the local school - the pastoral care left a lot to be desired! We moved the middle one to the girls' school at the end of that year as she'd come to the end of her time there. We had every intention of leaving the youngest one there until she'd finished year three, but in the first half term of the second year she had the classroom assistant 'teaching' her more often than the teacher. No one listened to her read and she had three spellings to learn in the whole time. The headteacher was going through a divorce and obviously didn't want to be there, so we moved her to the girls' school with her sisters.

Fast forward to 2009 and we moved to Sydney. We were hoping to find a similar experience to the one we'd had in Perth. We were very sadly disappointed. The girls were a long way ahead of the others, but I wasn't really all that bothered about that as we had no intention of returning to the UK, but we couldn't believe the amount of bullying there - girls and teachers. Some of the things teachers said to the girls you really wouldn't believe and no one would admit it was going on. My children were just so sad all the time and their grades began to drop. It was devastating to watch, so because they're older now we decided I would bring them back to their old school to complete their education here. Within a couple of weeks they were back to their normal, happy selves and even though we're here with just what we brought in our suitcases and living in a dated, rented house, I wouldn't swap for anything!

I can't blame the Australian 'system' for their misery, but I can blame that school, just as I would if they were miserable at school here. If my oh does get a job back here he's likely to have to commute because we're not going to take the risk of another school - here or in Australia!

[Guest chris955]

As has been said it isn't the system but individual schools and indeed teachers, last year our boys teachers were 100 times better than this years and because of this they progressed much faster. I can only comment on our kids and friends kids in the UK and all are either working or at uni, one is just about to start uni. Both countries offer great opportunities.