What are schools in OZ like???

[Guest Br3tt]

Hi all,

 

can anyone tell us what schools are like in Oz and more specifically Adelaide??

 

Our girls are 5 & 2.

 

Obviously we know it depends on which school they go to but would like to hear peoples opinions wherever they are, someone told us today that they arent as good as in UK.

 

Thanks

 

Brett

[Guest Russfamily]

i think they are better, they are more into sport than us with about class sizes of 30 children

[Guest dglamoore]

From the age of 4 they can have 4 free session a week at kindy which Dawn goes to at the moment. The class size is smaller than she had in the uk with nearly double the amount of teachers

 

She goes off reguarly to feed chooks, they have a great outdoor play area where they spend over half the session if weather is dry and she has already been on a trip to the city to visit and aboriginal culture centre which she loved. She has been on holiday for a week and now asking when she goes back to school

 

She will be 5 in August so from October will go to the primary which is in the same building. They have buddies from the older class come and visit them once a week where they do one on one play so Dawn is really excited about going up to 'big' school rather than nervous which is great!! This term she will go for one full day and 2 mornings each week to get her used to it so prepare them much more here than in the uk

 

Overall all schools seem to have good or bad depending who you talk to but our experience so far has been great. We do know of others with older children where they have not settled or enjoyed it so well and swopped schools and now seem fine too.

 

Lisa:cool:

[Guest Roo1]

As a former primary school teacher, I was concerned about the lack of Numeracy and Literacy at Kindy. They learn "through play" here and the theory is that they'll come to the teacher when they are ready to learn more, so there is no formal "sit down on the carpet and lets look at the letter "a"...".

When they get to Reception age, children will become introduced to letters and numbers more formally.

It seems to work for the Aussies. As a kindy teacher pointed out to me, the U.K may think there educational system is the best in the world but just look at how many children schools fail each year to teach the basics.

My advice is to chill and don't let schooling here interfer with the bigger picture of starting a new life in Oz. Look at the overall pluses. If you are still worried after spending time here, then go private or get your kids a tutor.

Warm Regards

Judi x

[Guest sarahsmartiepants]

As a former primary school teacher, I was concerned about the lack of Numeracy and Literacy at Kindy. They learn "through play" here and the theory is that they'll come to the teacher when they are ready to learn more, so there is no formal "sit down on the carpet and lets look at the letter "a"...".

When they get to Reception age, children will become introduced to letters and numbers more formally.

It seems to work for the Aussies. As a kindy teacher pointed out to me, the U.K may think there educational system is the best in the world but just look at how many children schools fail each year to teach the basics.

My advice is to chill and don't let schooling here interfer with the bigger picture of starting a new life in Oz. Look at the overall pluses. If you are still worried after spending time here, then go private or get your kids a tutor.

Warm Regards

Judi x

 

 

I totally agree with Judi on this one. My kids are 15 and 18 so they did their young school days in the UK. As a result of their age I have met "heaps" of teenage Ozzie kids and I have to say they are far nicer than their UK counterparts!

They are a lot more outgoing, confident, friendly, able to hold a conversation with an adult without mubbling like "Kevin". They are far less governed by fashion and peers. For example Kelly asked for trackies to wear to school, I asked where do they get them from, the answer was Big W! Liam had his 18th here at home, we left them to it there was 38 kids between 16 and 18 and drink involved. There was 1 broken bottle and not one of that 38 smoked!!!!

I think although they dont follow such a strict path of learning here that the kids in uk do, by time they get to the high school age they are of the same if not higher level, plus they have learnt some very important "other" skills, which in the Uk dont get a look in.

sarah

[Guest Libby1971]

Hi

 

I can only speak from my perspectivefrom what I have seen as a relief teacher.

 

Literacy is lower but no-one seems bothered assuming that things will just develop in time. I can see this benefits in that a child will not feel so pressured here to acheive compared with his classmates.

 

I think Roo1 mentioned a kindy teacher saying that the UK system failed kids each year. True, it does but Australia is by no means exempt from that. I am teaching at a private school in Adelaide and have been warned that literacy levels are shockingly low across the school. This is not a secret.

 

Reports are in the paper just like in the UK about how school leavers have literacy levels that are inappropriate for the working environment.

 

Aussie kids however seem less bothered about peer pressure. They do know how to behave themselves in a public place. They don't seem obsessed with alcohol or smoking. Most seem polite and well mannered and are confident enough, as said earlier, to hold conversations with any adult.

 

What I love is that my daughter was told by her friends the other day that she was too skinny and needed to put on some weight. In the UK, she was told not to put any more on or else she would start to be podgy! Lisa can vouch for this when I tell you my daughter is a twig!

 

Kids learn through role play developing essential skills for later in life, something the government has removed from the UK curriculum by introducing so many other things that are compulsory that the teacher has no time to incorporate these elements.

 

Libby