Lots of advice needed!

[julie-ruth]

For my tuppence worth first think about where your husband will be working and consider what transport you'll be using and how far/length of time is he prepared to commute. Also consider what you are use to and what you really want for your family if you come from city living in the Uk with lots of attractions on your doorstep, reasonable regular public transport and don't mind a bit of congestion and the noise and commotion of city life then consider suburbs around the city. West of the city is a favourite with many migrants, close to the beach, great shops however very busy roads. North Adelaide is in the flight path however planes stops at 11pmish and starts up around 6amish, can be noisy however great modern restaurants/cafes and easy access to the city. East of the city is very established with Italian/Greek communities influence there. From what I understand the public schools in this area are very highly favoured and produce great results. I don't know much south of the city, however it is a popular area for the Brit's and its certainly cooler to live during the hot, hot summers we have here. I'm sure someone will give you a more descriptive opinion of the south.

 

Julie

[Guest 00alli00]

Thanks Julie-Ruth. My husband will be working in North Adelaide so I think that rules out south of the city. We arrived in Adelaide on Thursday evening and are here until next Wednesday. Can't believe yesterday, our first day, was the wettest day in Adelaide for 45 years! We must have brought it with us. Have arranged to see lots of schools over the next few days. Looked round a city school yesterday and was told that there are no official exams until 18 yrs old (yr 12). Is this right? A little concerned that if we move back to the UK in 4 years when my daughter is 16 ys she will have no qualifications to get into an English college.

[Guest Guest12727]

What a welcome to Adelaide. At least the weather is cooler and easier to get a lot done over the next few days.

 

Regards school, students do internal exams from year 10, but only external in year 12. Of course they still receive final grades for their subjects in years 10 and 11. I suggest you ask the UK schools how they convert the grades from here back to the UK. I expect they can do this and are unlikely to leave your daughter stranded without opportunity to continue her education. Alternatively, you can look at at school that offers the International Baccalaureate, many do. I think KTee posted a list of IB schools a while ago.

 

Enjoy your stay

[Selah]

Where do you live Zealander - here in Adelaide????:biglaugh:

 

 

The original poster (OP) is asking specifically about here and is a first time poster so I tend to respond in a much gentler manner .:cute:

 

 

Amen Tyke as I'm currently on week long Business trip in Brisbane and I can't WAIT to get home Seriously though (although I really am in Brissie at the moment) Your kids are actually a great age for this type of adventure and Adelaide is a nice easy city to live and work in.

[julie-ruth]

You might want to consider a baccalaureate qualification instead of Sace for your children. The qualification is recognised internationally. Banksia park public school is the only school I know of that teaches student towards this qualification. Other parents/teachers on here might be able to give you more information on the qualification and identify other school public or private that might be of interest to you in this area. However I don't know quite how its going to work if your considering returning to the Uk when your child is 16 unless you put them up a year or two from other children in their aged group, that is a good subject to discuss with the school's your seeing (afraid I'm not a teacher so guessing a bit here). Good luck with the search. Easy in reach places to visit would be Adelaide Zoo if you get a chance, close to the city so not too far out to enjoy a relaxing day out (if its not flooded). Glenelg is a fun place for kids, nice beach, beach house is fun however probably best to go there when its a sunny day. If you want to get a feel for the place then enjoy a drive in the hills, beautiful views and amazing to spot Kangaroo's and other wildlife in the wild. There are lots of nice cafe's/drop in wine tasting vineyards all over the place. Hope you enjoy your stay even if its not typical weather for this time of year...

 

Julie

[Diane]

There was a thread recently that listed school that do the IB http://www.pomsinadelaide.com/forum/education/38343-international-baccalaureate-schools-south-australia.html - don't know how uptodate it is but probably a good starting point

[Guest Spratnat]

Hi, I just saw your post and had to reply as I am in a very similar situation to you! My husband has also been offered a transfer to adelaide with his work and so we are looking to make the move to adelaide hopefully by sept/oct this year depending on the visa. However his job wasn't on the skills list so his work couldn't bring him over so instead we are applying for a visa through me as I am a nurse. He had a work conference over in adelaide last october so I went with him to see what adelaide was like to make sure we wanted to make the big move over. I really liked it, we visited hospitals, to see if I could get a job aswell, visited lots of areas we had researched before, schools, met with some of his work colleagues who had made the move over a couple of years before and of course saw some kangaroos and koalas!! I am worried about schooling like you are, but i've researched it and i feel much happier about it now, and the way I see it the english schools are taking in so many kids now from poland, romania etc they will definitely accept children in from australia who speak english at least if you do go back!!! The thought of it is bit scary but I am up for a bit of an adventure and to be a bit honest fed up with english weather, taxation and cramped squashed roads so looking forward to trying something new. If it doesn't work out we can always go back and have had an experience at the very least. Good luck with whatever you decide to do and I hope you enjoy your time in adelaide, Nat x