Primary school dilemma

[Taffyowen]

We are looking at primary schools for our 2 boys for when we emigrate next year. We like the beach suburbs Henley, Somerton Park, Brighton etc and also the Adelaide hills too. However we also appreciate that there is a concentration of good schools in the Burnside, Kensington, Linden Park area etc and would also consider these areas too. We are open to state and private as long as it's not too expensive. Can you make any recommendations? We want an excellent school with academic excellence, a well rounded approach to education, creative and sporty.

 

Finally can anyone advise on the process for applying for schools I.e how long in advance do you need to apply , zones etc. - having been through the process in the UK where we couldn't get our eldest boy into a local state school only 0.6 of a mile away we want to make sure we get it right when we move!

 

thanks in advance...

[kelbert]

Hi. If you live in the zone for a school the school is obliged to offer your child a place. Good state schools often mean property prices in that zone are more expensive for obvious reasons. We live in the North and my daughter goes to Trinity College Gawler. It is a low fee private school with an excellent reputation, fantastic results and superb facilities. I am extremely happy with all aspects of the school and cannot speak highly enough. There are busses that go from some of the Adelaide hills towns such as Kersbrook and the surrounding areas aswell as the NE suburbs (Golden grove area). The fees vary on year group but around $5k per year give or take a bit. Uniform and books are additional costs. You just contact the schools directly to enrol. Easy as. Good luck with your journey. I'm sure you'll get lots more recommendations soon. ☺

Ps....there may be waiting lists at the school

[NicF]

It's probably worth noting that the best state schools do better results wise than a lot of private schools and the best private schools cost around $20k a year. As mentioned above the state schools that get the best acedemic results are in areas where property prices are high. The trick is to work out how much you can afford to pay and whether you prefer to pay that on housing, schooling or a bit of both and then find the areas you can afford to live in with the better schools in them. Make sure you consider purchase prices for houses when looking as well as rental prices. We have chosen to live in the zone for a good state high school and my eldest son goes there rather than the local private school. We could pay around $10k a year for the local private catholic school but as they have similar learning outcomes to the state school and we are not religious there doesn't seem much point.

 

The other thing to consider is that acedemic results are not the whole story. Schools in well off areas will often get better results simply because they have kids from well off backgrounds and/or have parents that put more emphasis on doing well at school rather than because they have superior teachers. Plus the whole school experience is also important and what is best for one child or family will not necessarily be best for another. Often this is where the private schools have the advantage over the state schools in that they can afford to provide more out of school activities for the kids.

 

There is a sticky thread on here all about schools (http://www.pomsinadelaide.com/forum/kids-down-under/44624-useful-links-schools-primary-high-school.html) that has lots of information in about where to look for info on schools and zones etc. A good place to start though is the myschool.edu.au website. This shows the Naplan results for each school and compares them to schools in similar areas as well as having lots of other information about the schools. In terms of applying as said above for state schools if you live in the zone you will get a place in the school. Not all primary schools are zoned though and those schools will accept you if they have a place regardless of where you live.

Edited June 18, 2015 by NicF
added link to sticky thread

[snifter]

Re applying, don't need to do anything till you are here. As said, if a school is zoned then they are obliged to take you if you live within the zone. However, some schools will require to see a years lease as proof if zoned, not just a short term rental for a few weeks. If a school is not zoned but it's further away than another school option, they will most likely inform you you should apply to your nearest school but won't refuse to take your child.

 

Fwiw, a zoned primary school doesn't mean it's a great school. Sometimes it's just pressure of numbers in the area so they limit it to more local kids.

 

Personally if you are looking at the Brighton area then check out Paringa primary. Zone is small and it's a good school. Up in the hills a Stirling primary rates very highly. As do some of the others in the smaller towns. And of course many of the eastern suburbs rate well but are often zoned. Other good schools exist, depending on where appeals. We really shopped around when we were buying our house to ensure we bought in a good school area. Took a while but we are really happy with our choice, both of area to live and school.

[Rachiegarlo]

Linden Park is so over subscribed that they no longer have to take your child unless living in the area and entering reception. If you move into the zone and your child is not going into reception you will be directed to one of the other local schools.