Did emigrating affect your teenagers education

[Guest suttons]

My teenage daughter is almost 15 and in her first year of GCSES in the UK, she is quite happy to relocate to Adelaide, but I am worrying if we are messing around with her education. Has anyone else had a teenager who has either settled in easily into the education system, do they still choose their options again once they get there, or is it completely different or has anyone found that it has been difficult for them. Would be interested to hear any similar stories.

[Guest vikkiann]

Ben was 13 and in year 9 when we moved here last June. He went straight into year 9 here. He's always been a smart kid, I'm not quite sure where he gets his brains from!! He's now in year 10 is so confident which he never was in England and is doing super. He chose his options just before he started year 10 here.

I was so worried about his education before we moved here but now i realise I had nothing to worry about.

 

Vikki

[Guest Treetops]

Our children are a bit younger but our experience has not been great largely because there doesn't seem to be enough emphasis on the three Rs. It must have been this way for a while because you've only got to spend a short time in the workplace to realise spelling is not an Australian forte. You basically have a choice of a government school in which case it's just like the UK postcode lottery; there are good & bad of course. Then you have the low fee (appx $5-10k per annum) private schools or big jump to ($15-25k) elite private schools. The problem if your not religious is you either have to go for a state school or an elite private school; everything in between tends to be very religious. I believe some of the private schools offer two different curriculum SACE (South Australian Certificate of Education) or IB (International Baccalaureate). The latter is apparently more readily accepted if your child wants to attend university overseas.

[star123]

hi, we have been here just over a year now and arrived with 6 children, all varying ages from toddler up to 16 years old. The Younger ones have settled into the Australian schools fine, have adapted to the way of teaching and got on with it, you have to realise when you come here that the schools ARE different and teach in a totally different way, my younger ones are doing great though, my 11 year old does find the work easy as she has covered most of it in the UK, but the teachers are great and stretch her and give more work etc, so for the younger children, it has not been a problem. My older 2 teenagers though, well that is different, the secondary schooling here is also VERY different, but had researched all this before we came and explained to our 2 older kids that it would be different and they would have to get on with it and deal with the different ways etc, my then 16 year had completed all her GCSE's in the UK and got 11 A*s, BUT when we got to Australia, she has basically had to go back and do it all again, she was able to choose what subjects she wanted to do and there was a massive choice, she is studying everyting she wants to do and will head to Uni next year. she is now nearly 18 and she is the oldest in Year 12, the majority of her classmates and friends are 16/17, but by doing this she has made great friends, will pass her SACE with flying colours, knows the education system back to front and its a breeze for her, she does not stress about homework, studying or exams because for her, its easy, so its a negative as she has had to go back technically and do it all over, but also a positive.

 

So many people i hear, come here, put there kids into the schools and then slate the education system here, all I hear is the schools are so slow, the kids are so slow, the teaching is so slow etc etc....but everything here is slow.....and laid back....and that is in our experience reflecting in the way of teaching. If you want strict schools, full uniform, tie, blazer the whole works then private is maybe the way but for us with our children and all their different ages it has been absolutley fine, the kids have embraced the whole australian schooling way and are thriving....its a totally different country with a totally different way of teaching...works for some...not for others...

[Misplaced]

hi, we have been here just over a year now and arrived with 6 children, all varying ages from toddler up to 16 years old. The Younger ones have settled into the Australian schools fine, have adapted to the way of teaching and got on with it, you have to realise when you come here that the schools ARE different and teach in a totally different way, my younger ones are doing great though, my 11 year old does find the work easy as she has covered most of it in the UK, but the teachers are great and stretch her and give more work etc, so for the younger children, it has not been a problem. My older 2 teenagers though, well that is different, the secondary schooling here is also VERY different, but had researched all this before we came and explained to our 2 older kids that it would be different and they would have to get on with it and deal with the different ways etc, my then 16 year had completed all her GCSE's in the UK and got 11 A*s, BUT when we got to Australia, she has basically had to go back and do it all again, she was able to choose what subjects she wanted to do and there was a massive choice, she is studying everyting she wants to do and will head to Uni next year. she is now nearly 18 and she is the oldest in Year 12, the majority of her classmates and friends are 16/17, but by doing this she has made great friends, will pass her SACE with flying colours, knows the education system back to front and its a breeze for her, she does not stress about homework, studying or exams because for her, its easy, so its a negative as she has had to go back technically and do it all over, but also a positive.

 

So many people i hear, come here, put there kids into the schools and then slate the education system here, all I hear is the schools are so slow, the kids are so slow, the teaching is so slow etc etc....but everything here is slow.....and laid back....and that is in our experience reflecting in the way of teaching. If you want strict schools, full uniform, tie, blazer the whole works then private is maybe the way but for us with our children and all their different ages it has been absolutley fine, the kids have embraced the whole australian schooling way and are thriving....its a totally different country with a totally different way of teaching...works for some...not for others...

 

Which school is your 18 year old at? Hope you don't mid me asking.

[star123]

Which school is your 18 year old at? Hope you don't mid me asking.

 

hi she is at Seaford 6-12, which is always kinda slated but she has settled great, made lovely nice friends, teachers been great, so for her its been a good school ;-)

[Guest kerina]

Hi. my son is 16years .he was doing his GCSE's when we left uk..it has been a month since we moved..he is enjoying school and doing really well.he went back a year so that he Will get to know the system here..he says he has more time to spend with friends here and do things he never had the time to back in uk!!(sports!!)

[howard]

My son did his GCSES and we left the UK the week after!

Consequently he joined Yr 11 mid way through the Aussi year and he did not find it easy. He got an A in his Maths GCSE but then struggled with Maths here altough he passed his ATAR with a really good score and got the Uni place he wanted.

 

Looking back on things now I would not recommend moving after GCSE but my daughter joined year 8 and didnt find the move a problem.

 

So basically I would say they transition well unless they start school part way through Yr 11

[Guest suttons]

Thanks everyone, mostly positive, so that's good, puts my mind at ease x

[Guest edenfieldpoms]

hi she is at Seaford 6-12, which is always kinda slated but she has settled great, made lovely nice friends, teachers been great, so for her its been a good school ;-)

 

i have been looking at seaford for my 13 year old daughter, I keep hearing mixed reviews and have been quite worried recently. Your thread was good and reassuring to read. Thank you.

 

April

[adelaidenow]

Our children are a bit younger but our experience has not been great largely because there doesn't seem to be enough emphasis on the three Rs. It must have been this way for a while because you've only got to spend a short time in the workplace to realise spelling is not an Australian forte. You basically have a choice of a government school in which case it's just like the UK postcode lottery; there are good & bad of course. Then you have the low fee (appx $5-10k per annum) private schools or big jump to ($15-25k) elite private schools. The problem if your not religious is you either have to go for a state school or an elite private school; everything in between tends to be very religious. I believe some of the private schools offer two different curriculum SACE (South Australian Certificate of Education) or IB (International Baccalaureate). The latter is apparently more readily accepted if your child wants to attend university overseas.

 

 

Cracking post, sadly it's not factual.

[andy and lindsey]

Cracking post, sadly it's not factual.

 

Could you expand on that - I'm sure a lot people would like to hear your thoughts

[Diane]

Well I can answer one bit of it - you don't have to be religious to attend one of the religion-based schools - in fact the remaining child I have at such a school is proudly atheist, and capable of explaining why, and arguing for the rights of his friends who are religious to choose to be so. Yes they are taught religion, but they are also taught to think for themselves and make their own informed choices. Secondly, I would say standards of spelling are very good here generally - in my experience, better than in England.

[zebedee]

Does different style of teaching include insensitive attitude towards the children? Lack of interest in helping them make friends? Months of waiting to get home work back? Swearing in class? Putting films on rather than teaching? Getting the kids to make the teachers cups of coffee?

 

Looking forward to moving our children to a different school as I am hoping our first experience of the Australian education system is not typical.

[adelaidenow]

Sorry, but if you experience this behaviour you should do something about it, not think it's the norm and 'scare' others. Moving your kids away is helping you but doesn't solve the underlying issues at the school.

 

What you experience is not normal, or acceptable. Scaremongering does no one any good.

[zebedee]

And I haven't even mentioned the drop bears in the playground.....

[Anne B]

Sorry, but if you experience this behaviour you should do something about it, not think it's the norm and 'scare' others. Moving your kids away is helping you but doesn't solve the underlying issues at the school.

 

What you experience is not normal, or acceptable. Scaremongering does no one any good.

 

If someone has had a bad experience and writes about it I don't think that is scaremongering. On a forum you will get lots of different opinions and experiences, I don't believe the poster was trying to 'scare' people at all, just inform people that their experience hasn't been too good.

[adelaidenow]

Maybe name the school then, and others can comment on it.

 

It's quite simple, some schools are good and some teachers are good. Some pupils are good...

 

There is the flip side to all 3 too

 

(In all countries!!!)

[Anne B]

I wouldn't feel comfortable naming a school I was slagging off, and it's probably against the forum rules anyway. Even if you PM'ed the details to someone else who asked for more info, do you really know who you are PM'ing? - could be a teacher in disguise !!!

[adelaidenow]

I wouldn't feel comfortable naming a school I was slagging off, and it's probably against the forum rules anyway. Even if you PM'ed the details to someone else who asked for more info, do you really know who you are PM'ing? - could be a teacher in disguise !!!

 

If people are telling the truth and not naming teachers, then the school can be named and shamed. If you are pm'ing a teacher and telling the truth -what's the problem?

[Guest Guest6899]

We left in Oct 2011 my eldest Adam had just completed his GCSE's with 6A* 5A's and 4 B's. we came to Adelaide and i couldn't afford to send them both at that time to private school so they both went public. Adam went to Christies Beach high School straight into year 12 SACE, he did excellent and won a scholarship to Adelaide University which he managed to defer until next year as we have to self fund. He is still at Christies doing a specialist math course as he wants to keep up with his studies. Christies is always slated on here and for us they have been very good. However my youngest son is in year 8 at Cardijn College, we are not Catholics, nor is Ethan pressured into any "religious" activity..

 

I think schools are a personal choice based on location, experiences, fees etc, we were not totally happy with Port Noarlunga Primary, but the Brits seem to be queuing up to send their kids there.