Local Schools

[Chris&Mel]

Hello all,

As a family we are looking to move over in the near future. We have identified an area where we would like to live and was wondering what schools are within that particular area and whether schools accept pupils outside a catchment area.

Our preferred area’s are Port Noarlunga, Seaford and Onkaparinga Hills, all of which are reasonably close to each other. Again we have identified Port Noarlunga Primary school. Our main reasons though are due mainly to the fact that you don’t have to live within a catchment area to enroll/attend the school. Obviously this would enable us to get the kids straight into school on arrival, giving us one less headache to sort out.

My questions are if anyone can answer;

Are the majority of schools only accepting pupils from within a defined catchment area?

Can anyone provide any feedback on Port Noarlunga Primary School?

Does anyone have any particular recommendations for other schools within the areas I have mentioned?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks Chris n Mel

[ozzieclare2be]

Hi my son goes to port noarlunga primary. It is a growing school and last year their intake went up alot. So far ive found it excellent, but my sons only been there 2 terms in reception. I know other paretns who are really happy with it. It has a real community feel to it and they are spending alot of money next year on new buildings and refurb. For me i loved the aquatics programme alot of the schools dont offer my son did a whole week of morning lessons down the beach, snorkelling and body boarding. They dont have a catchment area but wouldnt be suprised if they did eventually start if it keeps growing, i know mcclaren vale primary has one not sure of any others (not public anyway).
I guess the choice will come down to where you live, saying that we are in moana and i chose pnp. Good luck with what you decide :-) ps where in manchester u from ?

[Chris&Mel]

Thanks ozzieclare2be, were from Swinton.

[Baggienurse]

Yes schools are looking at catchment areas now, our youngest is at port noarlunga primary going into year 7 in Jan and loves it. its far more laid back than the uk and this suits him. Initially we were looking at seaford and was told that we were out the catchment area so would have to wait until all the enrolling had finished, BUT if we had been in the catchment area they would have had to take our boys regardless of numbers. As the previous person stated the school is getting fuller now and i know the first day back after the summer holidays all the children have just got to meet in the hall as they are unsure how many they will have. For us this school is two streets away so perfect for Ethan, Adam has a longer trip to Christies and Flinders uni.

Lisa

[Cherrypecker]

Hi Chris and Mel,

Good choice or areas, in my opinion. You could also add Moana to your list, it is beautiful and still local enough to Port Noarlunga Primary School (PNPS). Like Clare, our son has only been at PNPS a couple of terms in one of the Reception classes. We researched all the schools in the area before we left the UK, and on paper, PNPS sounded the best one for our children. We then spent an hour with Heather (The Head) looking around the school, and we were very impressed. It is a very friendly and welcoming school, and parents are encouraged to become involved in school life and their children's education (if they want to). Links with the beach and aquatic centre are good, and the recent swimming lessons in the sea were amazing to watch.

The school will be undergoing lots of disruption next year with the major refurb work that is scheduled. But, the school is well managed, and the impact on the children and their learning should be kept to a minimum.

The bottom line for us is the happiness of our children. Our youngest attends the adjacent Kindy, which forms a sort of feeder for PNPS. Both children are very happy and have settled well into their new environments. For us, this is priceless. The school is not perfect, and we have yet to see much academic progress. But, the staff seem to be very open to parents views, and we feel comfortable in being able to discuss any concerns that we may have in the future with them.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your move.
Paul

[Django]

Primary schools generally don't have catchment areas although I know that Woodcroft Primary are thinking of introducing one as they have very few spaces. However its worth thinking ahead to high schools as they do have catchment areas. We are at the moment looking to move so we will be living within the catchment of our chosen high school for when our eldest reaches year eight.

[Chris&Mel]

Thanks for the feedback, makes me feel a little more comfortable knowing our areas of preference seem to be popular and well liked. As for the school i suppose i had better make enquires, the trouble is we dont have a definite arrival date as we are in the hands of estate agents etc.... we still need to sell the house before we can make the move.