Advice on school classes/tips for persuasion

[Guest KayO]

Hi everyone, I'm due to move to Adelaide in January 2014 for a year with my family(kids aged 7,9 and 4).

I came for a brief visit in May and loved it. My dilemma is that i've been told that my kids would be put back a year due to the differences in the UK/Oz schooling systems.

As we are only there for 1 year, I do not want my kids to be struggling at school on their return to the UK, plus my 4 year old who would have started reception in September 2013 in the UK, cannot be offered a school place as legally he needs to be aged 5 to start school.

Any advice on how to proceed/convince the principles would be appreciated.

thank you in advance.

[snifter]

Its not the difference to the system as such, but the timing of the school year and the SA cut off point of DOB to enable enrolment in a specific year.

 

I'd not worry about it overly, tbh at primary level its not the be all and end all education wise. If its for a year at this age they should be fine going into the year for their age as per SA rules. And moving back to the UK after a year, sure it'll be a bit different but they won't be badly behind or anything. Look on it as an adventure and a life experience for you and your kids. They get to live in another country, experience another culture and way of life and will attend school, make some friends and more.

 

My hubby spent 6 months living in Europe as a child, aged under 10. He attended school there, had a blast and slotted back in fine to the Aus system on his return.

 

Your youngest would go to kindy (which is from my research more of a mix between per school and reception than just pre school).

 

When is your youngest 5 is the key? If its before April 30 2014 then he would be able to start reception in Australia. If its after then, he'd not be able. There is no bending this rule now as its a new set up being implemented for state schools. And even before then, it was a case of not being able to start school till the term after turning 5. I'd consider homeschooling on top of kindy in this instance. I doubt he'll be that far off where the kids in the UK system are on your return. Reception in the UK is very laid back in terms of how quickly they learn and what they cover, whereas, from what I understand its a bit more full on from the off in the Aus system.

[Guest Warrat]

Hi everyone, I'm due to move to Adelaide in January 2014 for a year with my family(kids aged 7,9 and 4).

I came for a brief visit in May and loved it. My dilemma is that i've been told that my kids would be put back a year due to the differences in the UK/Oz schooling systems.

As we are only there for 1 year, I do not want my kids to be struggling at school on their return to the UK, plus my 4 year old who would have started reception in September 2013 in the UK, cannot be offered a school place as legally he needs to be aged 5 to start school.

Any advice on how to proceed/convince the principles would be appreciated.

thank you in advance.

 

Hi - my daughter is 6, just finished year 2 in a UK school. She had a friend in her class that came over from Sydney from Sept to May - I asked her parents how she had managed as she would have started school later in Oz and apparently she was easily in the top half of the class on entry from Oz. Perhaps look at the work they are covering in the years they propose putting the kids in.

[NicF]

Although the number of the year they are going in to may (or may not depending on birthday timings) be different the kids they are joining are the same age as your children. The kids in Australia have the same intellectual abilities as kids in the UK, some of them are even gifted, and in a good school they will be taught to their ability. The school system here is different to the school system in the the UK and there is no set curriculum as such. Regardless of what year group they go in to they will be taught different stuff to their peers in the UK so when you get back there will be things their peers have learnt that they haven't. However there will also be things they know that their peers don't. Don't worry about it - they will be fine.

[star123]

When we arrived i just told the school what year my kids were in when in the UK and they were put in the same year group, so none of them had to go back a year and there is five of them with birthdays throughout the year so it was easy and kids were fine :-)

[foxychick]

with the older ones I wouldn't worry too much. with the 4 year old, if they are going to be unable to start school, I would look at putting them in one of the good private school's ELC, they appear to be more structured to learning than a lot of kindys (but I have no personal experience with an ELC) Don't know if it would be possible to combine this with a kindy too, so they have 5 full days education each week so as to not lose that habit

[Guest Adelaide_bound]

Just echoing what others have said - I'm a Primary School teacher, have had Ozzie kids in my classes in the UK and now have a UK lad in my Ozzie class I'm teaching, and tbh it really doesn't matter. What does matter is them being in with similarly aged kids, otherwise they feel really out of place.

 

Its a different curriculum (where its followed over here) so it doesn't matter what year they go into, they won't be doing what they would be doing in the UK. The best thing you can do as a parent is be optimistic and positive in your approach to it, and to do reading etc at home and show an interest in their education (this is really directed at all parents lol), just simple things like counting stuff at the supermarket/on your way to the park; describing things when talking about stuff, reading to them/them reading to you at bed time - the simple stuff really is the most important (I have academic research to back this up as well, but it gets a bit boring unless you are a geek like me lol)