School years

[Guest La1ney]

I'm really sorry I know others have posted about this but I still having trouble working out what year my girls would be in. We will hopefully arriving in August 2012. The girls will be 12 and 13. Would they end up being in the same school or would the youngest have to go back to primary? D.O.B's are April 2000 and September 1998. Any help would be gratrefully received as starting to research schools.

[Rachiegarlo]

Your 12 yo would probably go into yr 7 in primary school and your 13 yr old into yr 8. The last term of yr 7 is a lot of fun as the kids gear up for graduation ceremonies, do their transition visits to High school etc. However if you wanted them in the same school their are a few R-12 or 6-12 state schools around and in the south west zone of the private catholic education system there is a 6 - 12 school and a 6-9 school.

[Guest La1ney]

Thank you so much. Now I know I have to look for 2 schools. Trying to work that out was doing my head in, hopefully with this sorted I can start on the next thing on the list.

[Guest La1ney]

Sorry just one more question on education (I Hope), I was just wondering would there be any chance of the girls actually going into the year above the ones there birth dates put them in? Based on the facts that in the uk they are in first year secondary school and 2nd year secondary school. So not having to repeat these years.

Edited April 15, 2012 by La1ney
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[snifter]

Sorry just one more question on education (I Hope), I was just wondering would there be any chance of the girls actually going into the year above the ones there birth dates put them in? Based on the facts that in the uk they are in first year secondary school and 2nd year secondary school. So not having to repeat these years.

 

I always try to think of it as not looking at it as them repeating a year. School year starts in Feb in Aus and ends at Christmas. So a ways off from the UK school year. Factor in differences in how subjects may be taught and so on also. Its a whole different system. I tend to think that allowing them to be with people of their own age (rather than a year older) and so on is a good thing. And also consider allowing for adjustment to a new country, new school and subjects being taught and all that. It can be overwhelming at the best of times, perhaps more so moving the other side of the world. Of course, some children slot in just fine but others can take a while to make friends and find their feet.

 

Give the Aus system a chance and see how they go? Of course, some might have put their kids a year above when they moved and its been fine but I'd be inclined to wait till you get there, view some schools and so on and see what the teachers there etc think and be guided by them.

Edited April 15, 2012 by snifter

[ails]

Hi La1ney

 

If your younger child goes back to primary school and then on to a new secondary - that is two new schools in less than a year and all the issues that brings - something to think about. Also, I taught in a primary school in Adelaide where an English girl had come in to year 7 (from secondary school in UK) she did not fit - she was much more mature than her classmates and in my opinion, she would have been better off going straight to secondary. My neice went back to primary in Adelaide (from secondary in UK) in the same situation - it was not a success.

If your child has not been to secondary school yet and is due to go, that may be different and much easier to manage.

Ails

[NicF]

I was just wondering would there be any chance of the girls actually going into the year above the ones there birth dates put them in?.

 

We've been thinking about this as well, particularly as both our buys are currently above average in all subjects. I'm most concerned about my youngest who is 7 and currently in year two so will be going in to year one when we get there in August, and I don't really want him to be put off school because he is well ahead of his peers and gets bored. I'm less worried about my nearly eleven year old as I reckon the Ausse kids will have caught up with the UK kids at this point and the subjects are broader.

 

However, we've decided to wait until we get there and let the school advise / decide on what's the best thing to do.

[Guest Dennic]

So all the uk kids will go back a year, is that right? I have 3 boys one will be 11 in oct, 8 in June, 4 in Jan. So I take it they will be in primary school together, it is all a bit confusing, but I think it will be easier on them if they can go into the same school to start with (hope so anyway)

Denni

[snifter]

So all the uk kids will go back a year, is that right? I have 3 boys one will be 11 in oct, 8 in June, 4 in Jan. So I take it they will be in primary school together, it is all a bit confusing, but I think it will be easier on them if they can go into the same school to start with (hope so anyway)

Denni

 

Its not put back a year as such. At least I don't think so and think that makes it sound so negative. For starters Aus children don't start school till they are 5, whereas many UK kids are in school at aged 4. The school year runs from Feb to Dec also, not Sept to July. So moving in August and going into school in Aus would see only a few months in the current year before going on to the next year. I can't view it as being put back, its a different education system in another country. It is bound to be different and some kids are going to cover stuff they may have already done, but will also be doing new things aswell.

 

Depending on the child, they can go 'up' a year out of their age group but talk to the schools and view them etc first before deciding. Keeping an open mind is important. We plan to put our son into his correct Aus age group for school and see how he goes before deciding to move him up a year and out of his age group. If we do that he'll be the youngest in his year by far.

[NicF]

So moving in August and going into school in Aus would see only a few months in the current year before going on to the next year.

 

Actually my kids birthdays are March and June they are currently in years 2 and 6. When we move in August I believe they will go in to years 1 and 5 until the end of the school year, so they kind of do go back a year.

[snifter]

Actually my kids birthdays are March and June they are currently in years 2 and 6. When we move in August I believe they will go in to years 1 and 5 until the end of the school year, so they kind of do go back a year.

 

So talk to the schools and see what they say

[NicF]

We will. I'm actually more than happy for the oldest to do this as he's currently one of the youngest in the year and although he's very bright he's not the most confident of kids so I think it will be good for him. The youngest however I'm not so sure about, but we're going to see what the school say and what they advise. From what I can gather from what I've heard from my husbands relatives the school system in Aus seems a bit more relaxed about moving kids around the year groups if they feel it necessary, but we'll see what they have to say when we get there.

[Rachiegarlo]

Your kids are certainly not going back or forwards a year, they are coming to a new country with its own education system and years at school. Therefore they are usually slotted into the most appropriate slot. Schools do usually place your children with their own age group and also it depends when your children are going to start. Although it is a valid point that if your child arrives here and spends a term at primary school then goes onto high school the following term, they are going to two new schools, it is also necessary to acknowledge that all the children entering yr 8 are at a new school. Your child may have some familiar faces to go up to high school with from primary, but also all the children in yr 8 are settled into the new school, not just your child coming in at the end of the first year of high school where friendships have been established already over the year. At this age friendships fluctuate rapidly and groupings from primary school don't necessarily stay together as the children change so much at this time and also meet a whole bunch of others from different primary schools. I think you have to look at your children and take into account their social and emotional development. Some of our children in yr 7 are too mature for it and it is not a matter of having spent half a year at a secondary school. Some of our yr 7s by term 4 are actually 13.

 

The thing to remember is your children are no different really from Australian kids and Aussie kids don't start school until they are 5. By choosing to upsticks and move here with your children you are placing them in the Aus education system which also turns out doctors, lawyers engineers as well as brickies, shop assistants, labourers and the chronically unemployed. Your kids will be in the school system here and will be educated in it. Education is about length and they will finish it sooner or later. It really is not worth stressing about. Aus education becomes quite rigorous by the end of secondary and is aimed primarily at entrance to Aus tertiary institutions, so it doesn't really matter if your kids seem to be behind their UK peers unless of course you plan to move back.

 

Plus the biggest piece of advice I can give is ...if your child is bored at school, has done the work already ask the school to extend and challenge them sideways, read books at an appropriate level. Also it is your responsibility as a parent to enrich your child's life, it doesn't all come from school. If they finish work quickly then this means they have more time after school to pursue other interests, sports etc. Education is for life and not just academics.

 

My children have all finished school now, they were educated solely at Aus schools. I came here at 10 and was ahead in a lot of things but way behind in some things. So just remind yourselves your kids are entering a new system and the grades may not correlate to what they have left. If you stress then your kids will stress. There is plenty of time for them to be noses to the grind with schoolwork when they are approaching the last years of high school.

 

Sorry rant over.

[Guest USA soon just SA]

We are coming out in october intentionally before the aus achool year ends. We anticipate that, although they will have 9 weeks of 5th and 3rd grade her in the US, when we enroll them, they will be finishing out 4th and 2nd grade for about 6 weeks. We look at this as an advantage, as this will give them an opportunity to make new friends before the long summer break (when these friendships can grow stronger), and also because they are "back" a grade, they will not be under super amounts of scholastic pressure to perform while orienting to the new sytem. This also will give us a short time, with a natural end point, to see if we need to work with them over summer to do any remedial work to prepare them for their "re-start" of 5th and 3 grades (if that is where they are put). You are coming down at a similar time, and I think that this could be a great opportunity to find the right fit for your kids as far as friends, school process, and a generally lower stress situation after such a big move. I hope it works out for you guys, and I think it can be as positive, or as stressful as you make it. For us, we're chosing "positive transition" as our approach.

[Kingpin]

Your kids are certainly not going back or forwards a year, they are coming to a new country with its own education system and years at school. Therefore they are usually slotted into the most appropriate slot. Schools do usually place your children with their own age group and also it depends when your children are going to start. Although it is a valid point that if your child arrives here and spends a term at primary school then goes onto high school the following term, they are going to two new schools, it is also necessary to acknowledge that all the children entering yr 8 are at a new school. Your child may have some familiar faces to go up to high school with from primary, but also all the children in yr 8 are settled into the new school, not just your child coming in at the end of the first year of high school where friendships have been established already over the year. At this age friendships fluctuate rapidly and groupings from primary school don't necessarily stay together as the children change so much at this time and also meet a whole bunch of others from different primary schools. I think you have to look at your children and take into account their social and emotional development. Some of our children in yr 7 are too mature for it and it is not a matter of having spent half a year at a secondary school. Some of our yr 7s by term 4 are actually 13.

 

The thing to remember is your children are no different really from Australian kids and Aussie kids don't start school until they are 5. By choosing to upsticks and move here with your children you are placing them in the Aus education system which also turns out doctors, lawyers engineers as well as brickies, shop assistants, labourers and the chronically unemployed. Your kids will be in the school system here and will be educated in it. Education is about length and they will finish it sooner or later. It really is not worth stressing about. Aus education becomes quite rigorous by the end of secondary and is aimed primarily at entrance to Aus tertiary institutions, so it doesn't really matter if your kids seem to be behind their UK peers unless of course you plan to move back.

 

Plus the biggest piece of advice I can give is ...if your child is bored at school, has done the work already ask the school to extend and challenge them sideways, read books at an appropriate level. Also it is your responsibility as a parent to enrich your child's life, it doesn't all come from school. If they finish work quickly then this means they have more time after school to pursue other interests, sports etc. Education is for life and not just academics.

 

My children have all finished school now, they were educated solely at Aus schools. I came here at 10 and was ahead in a lot of things but way behind in some things. So just remind yourselves your kids are entering a new system and the grades may not correlate to what they have left. If you stress then your kids will stress. There is plenty of time for them to be noses to the grind with schoolwork when they are approaching the last years of high school.

 

Sorry rant over.

 

Completely agree. I am growing tired of explaining to friends and family and indeed other migrants that my boys haven't 'gone back' a year. My middle son started reception 2 weeks after his 4th birthday in the UK and was several months into year 1 when we got here. He has now started reception again with a lot of kids that haven't been to school before ever because the children here start after their 5th birthday. But like them he is spending a lot of time adjusting to new surroundings and also the Aussie ways and different words etc. Settling in, if you like. Much more important to me is that the boys are integrated and happy with kids of the same age rather than stressing about whether they have covered phonics before.

[Anne B]

Sorry just one more question on education (I Hope), I was just wondering would there be any chance of the girls actually going into the year above the ones there birth dates put them in? Based on the facts that in the uk they are in first year secondary school and 2nd year secondary school. So not having to repeat these years.

 

Bear it in mind that if your youngest goes into year 7 at primary school in August she will be one of the youngest in that year (which will have kids from approx May 1999 to Apr 2000), so to put her up a further year she will be almost 2 years younger than some of her classmates, which probably wouldn't be a good idea.

[Lazy Cow]

It's kinda funny that people get so hung up on the number attached to the Year. It surely doesn't matter if your kid is in Year 4 or Year 5 etc if the other kids in that Year are in the same age bracket.

 

My kids 'went back a year' and even though they were appalled (lol!) it worked well. They were at the same maturity level as their classmates, enjoyed the social side and they were fine academically because we - the schools and us - made sure they were.

 

I am very proud of all my kids have achieved and I could not be happier with the schools they attended. Which, btw, were state schools.

 

LC

[Guest Dennic]

I must say sorry for saying (going back a year) as long as the children are with the same age group as them, it should not matter. on the world education list OZ is above the UK in all studies so as long as my boys are happy then I'm happy.

Denni

[keithjm]

I would think that your 12yo would have to do the last term of the year at primary school and the 13yo would do the last term of yr 8 in high school. You could contact DECS here and ask if they could go up a year - it's worth a try.

In general, Oz schools are a year behind the UK based on our experience.